Miss Trouble Magnet
by M.animaniac
Summary: My mother is dead. My father is in a coma. I got kicked out of my own house. I almost died in a car crash. My coworker hates me... I'm trying to be killed, aren't I? Let's see how long my sanity lasts. This is my life, as the Trouble Magnet. SasSak
1. Chapter 1

**Moving In!**

Sakura's mother is **dead**. Her father is in a **coma**. She's going to get **evicted** from her own house. She almost **died** and wrecked her** car**. **PLUS**; her so called best friends won't even let her move in?!

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**Moving In!**

**Chapter 1:**

Sakura sat at her mother's side. "Oka-san… It'll be okay…" She said and tightened her grip on her mother's frail hand. Her mother, Haruno Mikami, was dying. She suffered from cancer, and although the growing tumour in her head had just been removed, it was too late to save her. Sakura let a tear fall down her cheeks.

"If only Oto-san were here… Then he could help take care of you too." Mikami said and gave a weak smile. Sakura closed her eyes tightly. She didn't like to talk about her father, he had been in a coma for 3 years and doctors said that he wasn't going to get out of it very soon. He used to be a policeman. He was hit by a speeding truck when he had stopped someone on the side of the road. After he was hit, he had been rolled over by a swerving minivan.

"No… You're the one who needs to be cared for." She said and slowly opened her eyes, "I-I'll be fine…" She avoided her mother's gaze and looked down to the hand she held.

"I don't want you to be sad, Sakura…" Her mother said quietly and closed her eyes.

"Why would I be sad? You're **not** going to die here, Oka-san!" She said loudly.

"I-It's okay…" She said weakly and smiled. "It's time f-for you to be a big girl… I've taught you everything I know…" She said and coughed. "I'm sure you will be…"

"Be what…? Oka-san, please, don't leave me!" Sakura said and felt more tears stream down her cheek. Mikami tried to smile, but she could feel her life seeping away.

"I'm sure you will be…" She paused, "I wonderful mother someday…" She then closed her eyes and slowly stopped breathing. Sakura's heart began to beat faster as she panicked.

"Oka-san!! OKA-SAN!!" Sakura cried as she felt her mother's hand grow cold. "Wait!! You can't go yet!! Oka-san!!" She screamed and hugged her mother's limp body and cried all over it; hoping that her tears would bring her back.

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**Monday**

Gaara sat beside Sakura in their usual advanced biology class. He and Sakura were 17 and went everywhere together. They weren't exactly girlfriend/boyfriend but they couldn't say they were "just friends" either. The two were also best friends with Sai and Hinata, who were in different classes.

They were in their last year of high school now and were studying for their future careers. Sakura wanted to be a veterinary, and Gaara wanted to be a scientist. Hinata wanted to be a teacher, and Sai wasn't sure at all. "You okay?" Gaara asked as the teacher spoke.

"Y-Yeah… I think… I'm…" Sakura set her head down onto her desk and closed her eyes. Gaara decided to let her sleep; she had gone through a rough weekend. The teacher noticed her dozing off as well, but had heard the news, and let her be. That's why everyone loved Kakashi-sensei. He understood them the most; and he looked as though he was as old as they were. He was always in style, though he was always late.

When the class was over, Gaara sat beside Sakura, waiting for her to wake up. The sound of a hundred footsteps seemed to do it, and her eyes slowly opened. "Are you ready to go?" He asked and closed his laptop. She yawned and nodded her head as she closed her laptop as well and stood up. She had been in the same mood all day, grumpy, sleepy and sad.

They went out for lunch at Sakura's favourite place. They sold hamburgers, hot dogs, milkshakes, bubble tea, pastries, pizza and sandwiches. Hinata and Sai had been waiting for them there. "Hi guys." She yawned and took a seat opposite of them.

"Hi Sakura." Hinata said and smiled sweetly. Sai waved his hand.

"Hi Sakura." He said. Usually he would call her Ugly, but that wasn't appropriate in the current situation.

"Hey, it's still 'sama' for you." She said and smirked for the first time in days. Sai frowned.

"Why?" He asked.

"You touched me last week in the car!!" She told him and frowned as well. Gaara and Hinata sighed.

"That wasn't me!" He lied.

"Well I don't think a car seat could have groped my ass, idiot!" Sakura said. She was in a happier mood; this is how she usually had conversations with Sai.

"What would you like to order?" A black haired boy asked in a bored tone. Sakura looked up to him slowly and almost choked on her soda. She coughed up in a napkin and felt everyone's eyes on her.

"Oh... er… Gomen!" She said and put a small hand up. Sakura obviously felt uncomfortable with the silence, so Hinata decided to end it.

"We'll all have one slice of pizza, please. One ham and bacon, the rest are pepperoni." She said and smiled. The boy nodded his head and wrote down in his tiny notebook before leaving.

"Looks like they're hiring." Sai said and mentioned towards the paper on the table. Sakura wasn't listening, '_He was so hot..._ she thought dreamily and stared at the spot he once stood.

"Sakura… Sakura!" Hinata cooed. She poked Sakura's forehead, and that seemed to bring her back.

"Huh? What?" Sakura stuttered and looked at all of them. They were smirking _intensely_. "W-What is it?" She asked and twirled her fingers like Hinata used to do.

"Looks like someone set her eyes on Uchiha." Gaara said and smirked as well.

"…Uchiha?" She asked curiously.

"Sasuke Uchiha: First in all his classes, named the most handsome boy in all the yearbooks, people think he might be gay because he rejects every girl that comes up to him, and, all those girls just happen to be fan girls, who constantly chase him." Sai recited. They didn't think it weird, Sai knew _everyone_, even people he had never met.

"Sounds like you're not the only one who gets chased around, Teddy!" Sakura said and smiled at Gaara, who she called 'Teddy' (short for 'Teddy Bear'). She referred him to a bear because on the outside he seemed cold and distant, but on the inside he was much softer and… cuddly?

"This place is going to get crowded soon; do you guys want to leave after we get our food?" Hinata asked and looked around.

"Huh? Why?" Sakura asked.

"Well, a crowd of girls is probably going to form once they find out the Uchiha boy is here." Sai said. "Then he'll quit and get another job, some place that doesn't involve social interaction with many people at once. Then he'll rethink about his career choices and will cross out anything he thinks would attract more girls to him and…"

_Yes, he knows that much._

"We get it, Sai." Hinata said and sighed. He smiled and seemed satisfied with himself.

"Here you are." Sasuke said and set down a plate with four big slices of pizza on it.

"Arigatou!! That was fast." Sakura cheered and clapped her hands together as she stared hungrily at the pizza. He ignored her and put the check down on the table.

"My pleasure." He said bitterly through clenched teeth. Gaara snorted and received a cold glare before the boy walked off.

"He doesn't seem too friendly." Hinata said and watched him leave. Sai and Gaara took their slices. Sakura let out a deep sigh.

"Oh, great." Sakura said sarcastically and took her slice as well. She had the one him ham and bacon.

"Hm?" Sai mumbled with a full mouth. Sakura frowned at him but continued.

"I'm applying for a job here." She said happily.

"NANI?!" The three yelled loudly and every turned to them curiously. "Er… Gomenasai, gomenasai!" They said quickly and got most of the attention diverted from them.

"You don't have to apply for a job just to get close to the guy; this isn't like you, Sakura." Gaara said and sent glares at whoever had kept staring.

"That's because that not what I'm doing." She said as she smiled and rolled her eyes, "I need the money! I can't take care of the house all by my self, remember? I'm going to get kicked out. Now, I have no where to go." Hinata looked down to her feet, Sai looked up to the ceiling and Gaara scratched the back of his head while looking at his watch.

"One of you guys is going to let me move in with you… right?!" Sakura asked and felt the tip of her mouth twitch. "Discrimination!!" Sakura yelled and as she stood up, she pointed at them. Everyone turned to them again nervously. "I'll find my own place, then! Ha, some friends you are." She said as she crossed her arms.

"Excuse me." She heard behind and turned on her heel angrily. Sasuke was standing in front of her, frowning at her. "You're causing a disturbance." He said and straightened out his apron. She huffed in his face daringly.

_Aah__, he's even better up close…_

"Please excuse my behaviour." She said in a fake sweet voice and sat back down, still crossing her arms. He glared at her before leaving again. Everyone watched carefully as he disappeared into the kitchen. Once everything settle back down the

"Sakura!" Hinata said, "We might get kicked out of here!"

"You mean like I'll get kicked out of my own house?! It's your fault! I've been through so much now and you guys won't even let me stay at your house for a few weeks." She said and looked away to keep them from seeing her teary eyes.

"It's not that easy. We'd have to make more money to buy more food, and you don't have any money to help pay for your own things. I'd be like having a child in the house." Sai said and took a napkin to clean his mouth.

"But we'll help you find a good place, promise." Hinata said and smiled. Sakura gave a weak smile and sighed.

"I'll be right back; I have to hand in my job application." Sakura said and stood up.

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**Tuesday**

Sakura sat in the quiet office. She was starting her job interview with a very handsome man!! "So, do you have experience with jobs like these?" The man asked. She decided that she would try and think positively. She had been sad and moody since her mother had passed, and she wanted to change. She looked down to his desk and saw a plate saying: "Uchiha Itachi" She beamed.

"Yes, I do." She said happily.

"Great, can I see that please?" He asked and she handed him her sheet of paper. He read it in a few seconds and looked up from the paper and leaned back in his chair. "I can see you've had multiple jobs in fast food restaurants. You're still young, why did you keep changing them? Were you fired?" He asked and looked at her bright pink hair curiously as she spoke.

"Umm… no. I had to change jobs to adjust to my mother's personal schedule; it always changed because of her health." Sakura said quietly and held her knees tightly.

"Will you require different hours because of it, now?" He asked and put the paper down on his desk.

"I-Iie… She passed away almost two weeks ago…" She said and gave a weak smile. He ignored this and motioned for her to take back the paper, which she did.

"Alright, show me what you can do." He said and stood up.

"Eh?" She asked.

"Let's see you use the pizza oven." He said and threw an apron towards her. She caught it and hopped off her seat, ready to work. They walked into the kitchen; it was a bit crowded because the restaurant was currently open. "In the kitchen, we have Ino-chan, Lee-kun and Shikamaru-kun."

"Ino-chan, please demonstrate." Itachi told this 'Ino' girl, who quickly nodded her head and grabbed some dough.

"I'm the head chef so watch carefully." She said and smiled at Sakura. She quickly got the dough ready and spun the dough in the air. She caught it gracefully and set it on the wooden surface. She put special sauce, cheese and other toppings and popped it into the oven.

"W-Wow, that was fast." Sakura said in awe. Ino beamed and began another pizza.

"On to the cash register." Itachi said and impatiently led her to the front of the restaurant. The cash register was for the people who were on the go, but most people sat down and waited for the waiters to come to them. "This is Tenten-chan, Karin-chan, Deidara-kun and Naruto-kun. They work on the cash registers." He said and then pointed towards the people walking around with giant plates in their hands.

Sakura nodded her head. "The waiters; Neji-kun, Sasuke and Sasori-kun." He said, "That's basically all of our staff. You will be working in the kitchen. But we might need you as a waiter as well on busy days. So you'll have that uniform too."

"You mean, I got the job?" Sakura asked excitedly.

"First, let's see you in action." He said in the same tone he had used the whole day. She smiled and nodded her head. She put on her white apron and the two went back into the kitchen.

"I need one small regular with extra cheese and our special spicy sauce, mild." A boy with pearly eyes and long brown hair in a low ponytail told her. She looked at his name tag:

Hello, My Name Is:

_Hyuuga Neji_

She already knew him though, he was Hinata's cousin. She couldn't stop smiling as she replayed what he said in her mind and began to make the pizza. '_This is great! I hope you're proud of me, Oka-san!_' She thought as she finished the pizza and put it inside the oven.

"That was excellent, Haruno-san." He said and smirked. She could feel her legs get wobbly at the sight. "You start tomorrow." He said and left her there in her apron, he had disappeared in his office. Her legs regained their usual sturdy self and she looked around her.

"Congratulations! Haruno Sakura, right?" Ino asked and held out her hand.

"Y-Yes…" Sakura mumbled and shook it.

"A-Are they real?!" Ino asked loudly. Sakura blushed and look down at her body and back up to Ino.

"Are what real?" She asked with a bright red faces, now all eyes were on her.

"Those strands of… pink hair." Ino said and gazed at her head, gawking. Sakura let out a small laugh.

"Well yes, they're natural." Sakura said and gave a small smile.

"Oh my gosh!! Tenten-chan!!" Ino called loudly and waved her hands in the air. Tenten came over to them quickly.

"What is it? Is there a fire, or something??" Tenten asked, ready for action.

"No!" Ino said; Tenten seemed disappointed. "Look at her hair! It's natural!" Ino said and clapped her hands together excitedly.

"R-Really?" She asked and got on her toes to see Sakura's roots. "Wow… It's really natural…" She said in awe. "I have to get back to work." Tenten said and made a double take before she was completely out of sight.

"Ino-chan, please leave Haruno-san alone." Itachi said once he came back from his office. Ino giggled before running back to the oven. "You didn't think I'd leave you here, alone, would you? I got your waiter's uniform." He said plainly and shoved it to her. She slowly took it from him and looked at it; it was just like all the other girls' uniforms.

(For the picture go here:

http://s87. it's that simple. Nothing big and puffy, lol)

She nodded her head and looked up to him. "You start next week." He said and left into his office again. Sakura took a deep breath and left the place. As soon as she was well away from the place she shoved the clothes into her big purse and hopped into her tiny S_martcar_. She revved the engine and slowly got into traffic.

She was headed to the mall to buy new leggings for her uniform, since she found it too short, and a tank top to wear under it. She parked into an empty spot and quickly ran into the mall, swiftly avoiding the light rain beginning to tap down on her. As soon as she entered she looked around, there weren't many people inside and she'd get what she wanted without a fight.

She walked to a specific section and took what she needed. She then went to the sales clerk and paid for her expenses with her credit card. "Sakura." She heard and almost jumped. She turned around and saw Karin, holding two outfits in plastic bags- that looked too small for her- in her hands.

"Yes…?" She asked and faced her properly. Karin eyed her carefully before answering.

"I see… you've been shopping." She said plainly. Sakura lifted her eye-brows.

"And…?" She asked. Karin took in a deep breath. She spoke so fast that Sakura could hardly catch the words.

"Those clothes kind of match with the uniform for the Konoha Café." She hinted. Sakura knew were she was going, but didn't give out her understanding.

"It also matches with lots of _other_ clothes." Sakura said and put on a wide smile.

"I know you applied for a job at the Konoha Café." Karin said and narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I saw you come out of there with the uniform and followed you here."

"Ever heard of _stalking_?" Sakura said and glared at her.

"Shut up, Haruno." Sakura began to walk away, but Karin followed her persistently.

"Why did you apply for a job there?!" She asked.

"What does it matter to you, anyway?"

"Tell me!" She said angrily, ignoring what Sakura had said.

"I got it for the money, what else?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura stopped in her tracks and stared at Karin suspiciously.

"You think… that I… for…"

"Yes."

"I got the job… Sasuke…"

"Yes!"

"…" Sakura turned her blank look into an angry one.

"I knew it. That's all you wanted the job for!" Karin said in a triumphant voice. "You're just like all the other hopeless girls who tried to get close to him!" Sakura stomped a foot on the ground and pointed at Karin.

"Excuse me, but aren't _you_ one of those hopeless girls?!" Sakura asked. Karin shut up immediately, but wasn't quiet for very long.

"I actually had the qualities they were looking for!!" She said angrily. Sakura took in a deep breath.

"What qualities?" Sakura said a little too loudly. Karin shot her a death glare and Sakura waved her hands in front of her face. "W-Wait! I meant, what qualities are they looking for? I didn't mean that you have absolutely no positive qualities… a-aand that you dress like a whore!!" Sakura said and quickly covered her mouth as Karin got near her.

"Listen up, if you even try to TALK to Sasuke, I will make sure you're never able to move that mouth of yours." Karin said quietly through gritted teeth, so only she could hear. Sakura clenched her fist and waited until Karin left.

'_Great. This '__**Konoha Café**__' doesn't seem to be bringing me any luck… I'll just have to go look for an apartment with Gaara now._' She though miserably and quickly walked outside, got in her car and began to drive down the road again. She was humming one of her favorite tunes as she watched her wind-shield wiper with interest. She wasn't watching the road and her supposedly 'smart' car led her onto the wrong side of the road.

The loud honking of a truck snapped her out of her reverie. She almost screamed when she saw that the truck and her car were heading directly towards each other. She swerved at the last second and only got her side mirror busted off. Her car rode on one wheel for a few seconds and finally slowed down and fell to the side.

As Sakura battled with her airbag she could hear tires screeching to a stop all around her. The airbag slowly deflated back into her car. "**SHIT!!**" She yelled and punched the steering wheel, making a long honking sound stretch in the air around her. She angrily undid her seatbelt. She managed to open the door and climb out of her car. She was bloody and tired but she managed to sit by her car and wait for the ambulance to come get her.

"We need to get you to a hospital. You have pieces of glass cutting deep into your skin." A woman told her. It was then that Sakura realized the large shards of glass in her skin, she winced as they set her onto the stretcher. As they gave her pain killers, Sakura felt a tear fall down her cheek. It wasn't because she was in pain; her mother wanted her to grow up like a normal girl.

She was failing her mother's wish, was it a dream maybe…?

Sakura snapped out of her reverie, she seemed to do that a lot. She was currently lying down on a stretcher in a fast-moving ambulance truck. The truck halted to a stop and she was rushed out of the room and into the hospital. She put a hand on her stomach and felt a sudden surge off pain go through her body. She screamed in pain and caught everyone's attention.

"You're got one hell of a wound there, try not to touch it." Someone said and stuck a needle in her arm. Sakura winced as she looked into the mirrors the doctors held over her. She could now see her stomach. She had a nine inch wide piece of glass stuck into her side. She could no longer feel much pain- thanks to the pain killers- And the sedative was starting to set in as well. She looked up at the doctors drowsily.

"You'll be fine, don't worry." She heard before closing her eyes.

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_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…_

Sakura was slowly regaining consciousness. She open her eyes half-way, there were blurry figures all around her. They hadn't noticed that she was awake again; they seemed to be having a quiet discussion. She couldn't tell who they were. Maybe they were doctors…? She closed her eyes again and tried to re-cap what had happened.

Clothes… A car… Screeching tires… Something red… blood…? Yes… white clothed… doctors… the mirrors… more… blood…

Sakura's eyes shot open. This time she could see them more clearly. Gaara, Hinata, Sai and a few doctors as well. A doctor turned his head to her and was slightly surprised. He turned to the others, mentioning them to look at her. They did so, and approached her.

"Sakura?" Hinata said quietly.

"What?" Sakura asked, as if nothing were wrong.

"You're feeling okay?" Sai asked, his face showing only the slightest concern. She let a small smirk slide on her lips.

"You wouldn't think I'd leave you like my folks did to me, did you?" She asked, chuckling lightly. They frowned at her. "I know… I should be more serious about this, right?"

"Sakura…" Gaara started.

"I'm invincible, remember?" She said and sighed. "I _can't_ die. I have things I have to do before I die. So don't think I'll let my life slip away so easily." She said as her smirk shrunk to a small smile. They all gave stiff nods and the doctors watched her carefully.

"You'll need a lot of rest, alright?" The doctor, who she had met before, said.

"For how long…? I have a job now!" Sakura said and tried to sit up, but her friends held her down. The doctor sighed.

"We'll see how long it takes you to heal… probably around a week." He said. Sakura's eyes went wide. _One week…?_

"Okay…" She said and took in a deep breath. "I can do this… this is no big deal…" She said as her eyes shot from Gaara, to the doctor, to Hinata, to Sai.

"It'll be okay." Gaara told her. She stiffly nodded her head. As soon as they left the room to leave her to rest, she stared at the ceiling and thought. _My mom is dead. My dad is in a freaking coma. I'm going to get evicted of my own house. My car is a wreck. I have no place to live… Think positive Sakura. Think __**positive**__. You have insurance… right?_

"**SHIT!!!!**"


	2. Chapter 2

**Moving In!**

**Chapter 2:**

**Friday**

Sakura switched channels again. _Barney…_ She switched again. _Spongebob Squarepants…_. She switched again. _Bleach… Smallville… These are all old episodes!!_ She turned off the tiny TV that was hung at the top corner of the wall and slammed the remote beside her 'food' tray.

She picked up the phone to her right and dialled the number for the **Konoha Café**. "_Moshi Moshi._" She heard.

"Um… Hello. I'd like to order a…"

"Sakura-chan?!" The person yelled as she held the phone away from her ear. "OH MY GOSH!! I heard **everything**!! Are you going to be able to get to work?!" The girl, whose voice Sakura recognised as Ino's, said.

"W-Well, I don't know. Hopefully I'll be ready to leave by then." Sakura said and sighed.

"Oh, okay. I have to tell you something." Ino said quickly.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"It's… Well… Nevermind." Ino stuttered.

"Any news that you could possibly tell me?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sasuke was asking about you too."

"R-Really? What did he say?" Sakura asked and felt a blush creep onto her cheeks.

"Yeah, he asked when you were coming back. He said that he wanted to make your life a living hell." She said sweetly. Sakura frowned.

"I didn't do anything to him!" She said angrily.

"Don't worry; it's like an event we have here. We make the first day of the newcomer really shitty, and see if they're worthy of being in the team." Ino explained.

"Oh… Okay… Aren't you _not_ supposed to tell me that?" Sakura asked.

"… Wha- OH-OH-CRAP!!" Ino yelled and hung up. Sakura put down the phone and stared at it blankly. She turned her head to the door, someone was knocking. It slowly opened and in came Gaara. She beamed.

"Teddy!" She said and gave him a big hug when he came closer.

"You know, I'm satisfied with just 'Gaara'." He said and sighed. She frowned at him.

"Teddy suits you better." She said and smiled. He sweat dropped.

"Anyways, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm feeling okay, actually. I think I'll be able to get to work really soon!" She said happily. "So, how was school?"

"I have Sasuke in my art class, with Deidara-sensei. The arrogant bastard just got _rewarded_ by Deidara-sensei. His painting is hung outside the class room on the door." He said grumpily. "Sai was complaining that his was so much better…"

"Where are Sai and Hinata?" Sakura asked, trying to avoid any conversation involving Sasuke. Gaara shrugged.

"They're studying. I also got your homework." He said and took out textbooks from his bag. Sakura glared at the books.

"Why couldn't you tell them I was dead?" She asked and crossed her arms. He chuckled.

"Yeah… right. Anyway, the doctors told me to tell you that you can leave today." Gaara told her and got up.

"What? Really?" She asked and threw off her covers. He quickly stopped her from jumping out. "Lemme go!!" She whined and tried to jump out of her bed.

He managed to push her back onto her hard mattress and made sure she stayed there. "Not… Now…" He said though long breaths, "They'll come and do a last check-up and _then_ you can leave." She quickly nodded her head.

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As soon as Sakura had left the hospital, she ran outside. "Ahh… Fresh air at last!" She sighed and took a deep breath. Gaara had left earlier and she only had and hour and a half until her curfew of 10 o'clock. Of course… not her curfew at home… She had decided to stay in the dorms at school until she found her own place to live. She wanted to get to school right away, but decided to tell her boss, Itachi, that she'd be ready to work soon.

She walked inside the Konoha Café and walked to the cash register. "Sakura-chan…?" Neji asked and led her into the kitchen, "Where you really at the hospital?" He asked. Sakura nodded her head.

"I kind of well… got in a car accident." She said and slightly lifted her shirt. She still had a thin layer of bandages wrapping tightly around her stomach and some stitches on her other larger cuts. He looked quite surprised as she showed him all her cuts. She suddenly sensed someone approach her.

"What the hell did you crash into?" She heard and instantly recognized her boss's voice.

"Oh, Itachi-san! I came to tell you I'd be ready to work on the date you told me." She said exitedly, feeling slightly intoxicated by the good smells from the food cooking near her.

"You don't look fine to me." He said and frowned.

_Oh, how sweet…__He's going to let me get better first!!_

"I'm fine." She said sweetly.

"Fine. You start tomorrow." He said and disappeared again into his office.

"W-Wha…? Tomorrow??" She asked herself as she stood there, gawking at the door.

"Don't underestimate Itachi-san, he can be truly cruel…" Neji said quietly. Sakura slowly nodded her head. "Anyways, let me introduce you to the crew before we have to close up." He said and walked into the kitchen.

"Sakura-chan!" Ino screamed and ran to her as quickly as she could, "Oh my god, are you okay?! What happened to, like, you car??" She asked.

"W-Well… I kinda… don't know?" Sakura giggled nervously.

"Well, you've met her right? You know Ino-chan. _Everyone does…_" Neji said. "This is Lee-kun, and Shikamaru-kun." He said and the two waited for a reaction.

"Oh… Hi." Sakura said and did a short wave. Lee's eyes bulged in their sockets as he ran up to her and grabbed her hands in his.

"Oh, sweet cherry blossom. Your beautiful, sweet voice accents you're amazing complexion. My name is Lee, Rock Lee." He said in awe. Sakura wondered whether he was for real; those big round eyes, the weird hair… those fuzzy eyebrows…?!

"Umm… T-Thank you?" Sakura stuttered and quickly put her hands in her pockets. "Oh, you must be Shikamaru-kun, then?"

"Hn…" He said and yawned. "Another girl in the café is… troublesome." He said in his bored tone and walked away. Sakura just stared at his back as he walked. Neji ignored this and pulled her to the cash registers.

"Tenten-chan… you've met her, right?" He asked, before she could answer, he continued. "Naruto-kun, Deidara-kun and Karin-chan." He said and the three turned to her.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said and put on a huge grin. Sakura knew him, he was Hinata's boyfriend- but that's a secret! None shall know (especially Neji)! Sakura smiled and waved.

"Your hair is such a work of art, yeah." Deidara said plainly and looked at her pink hair. Karin glared at her as soon as she set her eyes on her. Sakura did the same. Feeling the sudden heaviness in the room, Neji butt in.

"Hey, here come the waiters." He said and made both of them divert their attention from each other. Sasuke and Sasori came, both wearing the same tired expression. "Sasuke-kun, Sasori-kun." He said and yawned.

"Hi…" Sakura said nervously. She could feel Karin's eyes on her.

"Hey." Sasori and Sasuke said at the same time. Sasori walked away and Sasuke approached her. "When do you start?" He asked indifferently.

"Er… Ah!... um…" Sakura hesitated, glances back and forth from Karin to Sasuke. "I start here tomorrow."

_A few__ words couldn't hurt!_

"Ah. I'll be waiting." He said and nodded his head. As soon as he left, she turned to Karin, who was growing angrier by the minute, and smiled at her.

"Is something wrong…?" Neji asked, watching the two.

"Oh, no! Nothing's wrong." Sakura said and smiled. She bowed to them and bid them good bye before exited the café.

The school was very close to the café, so Sakura only needed to walk for a minute of two. She stopped when she spotted a bubble tea store, got some, and continued walking.

She arrived at the school, and walked towards the front doors calmly with her tea in hand. She walked inside and swung her keys in her fingers. As she walked down the hall she noticed that they were quite crowded. Some people turned to look at her as she walked down put then turned away.

"Sakura!" Hinata called and poked her uninjured side, making her jump up and yelp.

"Oh god… I almost had a heart attack, Hinata!" Sakura gasped as she put her hand on her chest. Hinata giggled. "Why isn't everyone in their dorms?" She asked. Hinata shrugged.

"I don't know. I was wondering that myself." She said in her quiet and sweet voice. Sakura looked around again. No one was paying much attention to her; she had suspected that they would at least ask how she was feeling.

Geez. _Sai was right, these people have no feelings._

She followed Hinata to her dorm room, which they had to share with another girl named Temari. They entered inside, but Temari was absent. Sakura unpacked her bags; Hinata had brought them there for her. She had once been in the dormitories, but needed to stay with her mother when her condition worsened. Now that she was gone, Sakura was forced to stay there.

_I __**hate**__ the dorm rooms. The guys are on the bottom floor but you never know when they could sneak up here…_

The boys and the girls were once mixed together, but after Tsunade, their principal, caught Sai trying to sneak into the girls' change rooms she made a permanent change. The boys were still able to go into girls' rooms, but with permission only, and vice versa. She stuffed her clothes in her drawer carelessly and threw her large bags in the closet. "All done?" Hinata asked. Sakura sprinted and then jumped onto her bed.

"Yes, all done!" Sakura said and squeezed her face into her clean pillow. "What do you want to do?" She asked and rolled off her bed and onto the floor.

"There isn't much to do at this time… You shouldn't move around so much. Those wounds are still…"

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. But I didn't get out of the hospital so I could rest more!" Sakura said grumpily and crossed her legs. Hinata sighed.

"If I go get some pizza for us to eat will you stay calm?" She suggested. Sakura thought for a bit.

"Okay, fine." She said and glanced at her alarm clock, "You still have forty five minutes!" Hinata nodded her head and grabbed her purse.

"See you in a bit." She said and quickly left. Sakura sighed; now she was all alone. She changed into her pyjamas and began to reread her favourite book "Twilight" for the umpteenth time. She soon got bored and shut it. She looked at her clock again and Hinata had only been gone for fifteen minutes.

_I guess if I'm alone…_

Sakura had one of those crazy hobbies that seemed stupid, yet fun. Every day, before going to bed, Sakura would turn on her radio. When she heard a song she preferred, she would dance through the **whole** song, without stopping. If she did stop, then she'd have to do two songs the next night, and so on.

_I'm too crazy for my own good…_

She turned it on and waited a while for a good song to start playing; sometimes she switched stations, but usually didn't have to. She has wearing her silk purple and pink trim night gown, which was basically a long T-shirt that ended about two inches over her knees. She hopped off her bed as the song "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance began to play.

"Because the drugs never work, they gonna give you a smirk… cause they got methods in keeping you clean…" She whispered quietly as she danced in her gown. She heard a click, but ignored it. It was probably her 8 year old radio messing up again. She spun with a broom in hand and sung more.

"They say all teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone'll bleed. So darken your clothes, or strike a violent pose! Maybe they'll leave you alone… but not me!" She had to stop spinning, since her head began to hurt.

She found herself facing the door. That is… the _open_ door. "Sakura, Temari needs to finish her…" Hinata mumbled with a large pizza box in her hand, looking as though she might drop it any moment. Sakura froze and her eyes widened. She would normally have burst out laughing, this had happened with Hinata and Temari the last time she had been in the dorms with them. But…

**Sasuke was with them.**

Sakura screamed and tried to back away, but tripped… over the broom.

_Damn it!! Why am I so clumsy?_

… and fell onto the heater. It was… hot. She quickly rolled off of it, feeling slight pain in her wounds. She rolled onto her stomach, her face in the smelly carpet. "**Shit…**" She hissed under her breath.

"T-Temari… needs… to… finish her project… with… Sasuke." Hinata finished nervously. Temari smirked as she walked inside and switched off the music; making it even more awkward. Sakura stared at her feet as she walked quietly to her bed, and covered herself with her blanket.

Sasuke obliviously sat down at their desk and pulled out his textbooks. Temari slowly joined him; she knew that Sakura may be scarred for life. Hinata put the box of pizza on the table, and took out two big slices. She then slid them under Sakura's covers for her to eat it piece.

**Sakura P.O.V.**

_Oh, shit. You might have noticed that I love that word. Yes. Shit. Maybe it's like… the definition of my life?__ Well. I'm trying to unmake-it shit. _

_**SHIT**_

_Sasuke just saw me dancing like a crack head… and now he's acting as though nothing happened!! That idiot, he could at least feel awkward. _

_**Damn him**__**- that stupid 'NoEmotion' man**_.

_Wait… I don't even know this guy. Who cares, right? It's not like I… see… him… every day…_

_**SHIT.**_

_I should really stop. I swear too much, do you think so too? Damn. Not as effective as the previous swear word, but sufficient. UGH!! This is so embarrassing. I hope he doesn't tell anyone… Wait… I'll have to ask Sai if he thinks he might tell. _

_After all, Sai knows_ _**everything.**_

_Sai is never wrong. Yes! He is__ my saviour!! Ooh… Pizza, thanks Hinata. _

…

_Sasuke is so mean! He's totally off my wanted list!!_

I quickly grabbed the pizza and gulfed it down. Hopefully, no one noticed. I lifted the covers up just a tiny bit. Good. Sasuke's butt is facing me. I quickly removed more of the blanket to stretch my hand towards the floor and let it wander. Temari and Hinata, who could see me, gave me quizzical looks. I ignored them and my fingers finally gripped my cell phone. I froze when Sasuke's chair squeaked.

"**Look**, I found the answer." Temari said, putting emphasis on the 'look'. Sasuke, who had tried to turn and see what I was doing, turned back to Temari. He looked down at her finger, which was pointing to the answer. He nodded his head and wrote it down.

I quickly threw the covers back on top of me. I was like some horrible detective. What was the point in avoiding him if he had already seen me? He didn't care. I pushed the thought down the tunnels of my mind and quietly dialled Sai's phone number. Of course, the phone always makes beeping sounds when you press buttons, so they must have heard it.

**Normal P.O.V.**

…

"Sakura?" Sai said, not bothering to say hello.

"Yeah, it's me. HELLO." She said a little too loudly. Everyone turned to look at the bed, listening curiously.

"Where are you…?" He asked.

"I'm under my covers, duh…" She said as though it was the most obvious thing.

"What are you wearing?"

"Sai!!"

"Sorry… Geez, it was a joke, Sakura."

"That's Sakurasama."

"Whatever… What did you want?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me if…" Sasuke pulled off the covers and Sakura looked up to them.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked and frowned at her.

"Er…" Sakura quickly shut her cell phone closed and sat properly on her bed. "T-That's none of your business." She said and looked down to her feet as her face began to heat up.

"Well, since we're done, I guess you'd better leave, Sasuke-kun." Temari said quietly.

"Hn." He said and turned to the desk and picked up his things.

"I've never seen you around here before…" Sakura said bravely. Sasuke's eyes wandered to her again.

"I just moved here to live with my brother, Itachi." He stated. Sakura quickly nodded her head.

"Why'd you move here?" She asked curiously.

"That's none of your business." He suddenly said coldly. "I'll see you tomorrow Temari-chan, bye." He said and shut the door behind him.

"What did I do wrong?!" Sakura asked with her hands on her head. Hinata climbed up to the bunk bed and Temari rolled her eyes.

"Sasuke isn't the type to talk about his personal life. He always shuts everyone out." She yawned and crawled onto the bottom bunk, under Hinata's bed.

"_Someone's_ a little touchy." Sakura said and grabbed the last slice of pizza.

"I'm warning you, you shouldn't try anything with Sasuke-kun." Temari said as she took out the elastics holding up her hair. "He only arrived in Konoha a week ago and nearly everyone here is in love with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyday he gets chased around by the girls. The café is always full of them, and some girls even tried changing to his schedule. I'm telling you, you should stay away." Temari said and began to brush her hair. Sakura sighed and got under her blanket.

"It doesn't matter. I've changed my mind." Sakura said and closed her eyes. "Sasuke can kiss my ass."

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**Saturday**

"Why'd you hang up on me yesterday, Ugly?" Sai asked, frowning at her.

"Because I did… It doesn't matter anyway." Sakura said and shrugged. They walked into the cafeteria and walked to their favourite table, the one they always sat at.

"Um… Sakura... Why are there a bunch of people sitting at our table?" Hinata asked. Everyone sat at their designated table. It was the rule. Besides, the tables were small and round, why were so many people standing around it?

"I think I know who's sitting there." Sakura huffed as she quickened her pace and stopped behind the circle of people. "Excuse me…" She said loudly.

Everyone turned to her, staring at her like she was the bravest person on earth… or the stupidest. "This is our table." She said, waiting. The group began to laugh.

"Sasuke-kun is sitting here! It's _his_ table now!" Karin's voice said; the loudest of them all. The group slowly dispersed, and Sakura, Gaara, Sai and Hinata were able to see Karin standing near Sasuke, watching him. "You're too late, anyway. All the seats here are taken, you can't sit next to your beloved _Sasuke_ now, can you?"

Sakura felt her face flush. "What are you talking about?" She snapped.

"I saw Sasuke come into your room last night! You must have disappointed him, since he left the room so fast!!" She said and screamed out her laughter. Sakura felt her ears tingle from the loud noise.

"He wasn't there to see me, you idiot." Sakura said, "He came to do an assignment!"

"That must have been the lie you told him to get him in your room!! HAHAHAHA!!" She said loudly, her laughter a haemorrhage. Sakura felt her face grow an even deeper red. Gaara grabbed her arm and stepped in front of her.

"Move it." He growled to Karin, who immediately stood up. Gaara was just like that, he could scare anyone. She gave Sakura one last glare before walking off.

"It's not fair to threaten a girl, Gaara." Sai noted. Gaara ignored him and sat on a seat opposite to Sasuke, who was staring at his sandwich. If she didn't know any better, Sakura could've sworn that he looked relieved. She quickly sat down, followed by Hinata and Sai.

"I aced my math test! It was pretty easy, if I may say so myself." Hinata said, trying to shift the attention from Sasuke.

"What are you talking about? It was absolutely horrible. I spilled ink all over my correct answers." Sai said, stabbing his chicken. Sasuke listened carefully as the conversation continued. They weren't like the other superficial people in the school, or the ones that loved being the center of attention.

"Itachi-san is my boss, and he wants me to start working today!! My injuries haven't even completely healed yet." Sakura said and rolled her eyes. "Plus, I have to double as a waiter and cook!" She whined, and took out her container with grapes in them.

"Hey, Hinata!" They heard and watched Naruto sit down beside her and pecked her on the cheek. "Huh? Sasuke-teme?" Naruto said and glanced at Sasuke, who looked up from his tomato to see him.

"Dobe, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"… I'm in your dorm." Naruto said.

"I mean at this table, idiot."

"I'm Hinata's bo- I mean- I'm Hinata's friend, I stick with her all the time. W-What are you doing here?" He asked quickly. Sasuke shrugged.

"What he's doing is sitting at _our_ table." Sakura said under her breath.

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Sakura burst out of the changing room. "Sakura-chan, we need some orders from table 12!" Itachi said as he walked past her, patting her back, as he was checking the café's condition. "Deidara, try to get those cash registers to calculate faster! Hey! Stop flirting with the costumers and listen to me!" He said loudly as he checked up on everyone.

She ignored the racket going on in the back and walked to table 12. "May I take your order?" She asked, almost intoxicating herself from the mix of the smell of fast food and her candy apple perfume.

"I'd like one vegan salad with extra peas, please." The girl said, the boy next to her just stared at Sakura though fully. "Ginta, take you order!" She said, jealous of his staring.

"I'd like a chocolate chip muffin, with whipped cream and hot chocolate sauce." He said and licked his lips. Sakura stared at him wide eyed.

"Ginta!!" The girl yelled, getting up. He just turned to her slowly and raised his eyebrows.

"What are you going to do…? Rip my eyes out?" He asked and gave an obnoxious smirk. Sakura frowned.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I don't like the way you're treating our costumers." Sakura said firmly. The girl nodded her head stiffly.

"Aren't I a costumer as well?" He asked, slowly standing up.

"No, you're not. Why? Because we don't have chocolate muffins with whip cream and hot chocolate sauce. Now, I thought I told you to leave." She said, more firmly this time.

"How about you make me?" He asked, still smirking. The girl, probably his girlfriend, slapped him. He looked somewhat shocked, but didn't pay much attention to her; pushing her away for more effect.

"If this continues, I will call the police, please leave." Sakura said, now getting angry.

"Come on now…" He said, approaching her. She backed away with one step and glared at him. He reached out to her, but his hand was slapped away.

"Don't touch me!" She told him as he tried to grab her wrist. People were at their tables, watching curiously as she slowly kept backing away before he finally grabbed her wrist.

_Once again, Sai proves that people just don't care._

She was just about ready to kick his crotch when Sasuke butt in and pushed back the man.

"She told you to leave." He said, and led him outside. Sakura stood angrily against the wall and watched Sasuke come back. "You shouldn't have led him on." He said and walked past her.

"I wasn't!! Why'd you have to butt in anyways? I could've taken care of him myself." She said as she walked quickly behind him.

"Sure you could have." He said sarcastically and turned around. She nearly rammed into his chest and stopped right in front of him, talking a step back. His hand suddenly rested on his back and pushed her closer to him. Her face became a deep red as she glared at him.

_Ahhh!! Sasuke is touching me!!_

"What are you-?!" She was cut off as he ripped off a paper, which was apparently stuck on her back, and shoved it in her hands. "_Keep trying… I'm just playing hard to get_?" She read on the paper. "What the hell is this?!" She asked angrily.

"It's Itachi's first attempt at making your life miserable… I'm disappointed you didn't notice." He said and kept walking towards the kitchen. Sakura crumpled the paper in her hands.

"Whatever." She mumbled and dumped it in the recycle bin as she followed him. "I'm disappointed that you work for your own brother, it's pathetic." She laughed. His face quickly changed to a cold expression.

"You know nothing." He snapped and left.

_Definitely touchy._


	3. Chapter 3

**Moving In!**

**Chapter 3:**

**Sunday**

Sakura typed at maximum speed on her laptop, her essay was due on Monday, and she had only just started. "Temari-chan, can you get me some coffee?" Sakura asked as she kept her eyes glued to the screen. It was seven o'clock in the morning and she hadn't slept well the previous night. Temari yawned and put down her book.

"Yeah, I could use some as well. How about you, Hinata-chan?" Temari asked as she took her wallet out of her purse. Hinata sleepily nodded her head. Temari smiled, took some change and left. As Sakura typed, Hinata read over her shoulder.

"Sakura, that's not how you spell 'international'…" She noted. Sakura frowned and stabbed her keyboard furiously. She was now half way through her essay, and felt as though she could drop any moment and fall asleep. Hinata walked around the room (more like _jumped_ since Sakura's clothes were scattered all over the floor) and stopped at their window.

She pushed away the blinds to let all the sunlight pour in. "It looks like it's going to rain…" She said and opened the window for some air. "I was supposed to go somewhere with Naruto-kun today." She said and sighed. Sakura turned to Hinata, her eyes red and droopy.

"Maybe he should just come see you here. I'll be gone to work and Temari has to get to soccer practice." Sakura said and let out a loud yawn. She drowsily turned back to the computer screen.

"Maybe you should rest a bit, Sakura. Your essay won't be so good if you write it in this condition." Hinata told her wisely. Sakura nodded her head and was about to close her laptop when she saw a blue box pop up at the bottom right of her screen. '_You have received one (1) new e-mail._' She rolled her eyes and clicked on the box.

Another window opened up, she was now in her inbox. She slowly clicked on the yellow e-mail. "**He** sent me an e-mail…?" Sakura asked herself quietly and motioned for Hinata to come and see. They slowly read what was written…

_Itachi says he needs you at the café at ten o'clock sharp. __We're expecting some extra costumers today. Consider it your first actual day here, yesterday was simply a test, which I thought you failed. _

_Unfortunately, Itachi decided to keep you, so I'll have to deal with you. Why did he keep you? He said that you __**attract**__ costumers._

_Poor me, I don't see how you could possibly pull that off. By the way, green piglets are not so fashionable these days…_

_Sasuke_

"Green piglets? What's he talking about?" Sakura asked, frowning. Hinata looked away to hide her smile. "He just indirectly called me ugly!! Sai is the only one allowed to call me that. He's going down!" Sakura said and shut her laptop. She suddenly felt energized and somewhat rejuvenated! They heard a small 'click'. Temari walked in with three cups off coffee in her hands. She handed them to Sakura and Hinata and sat at the desk. Sakura was pacing around the room as Temari spoke.

"When I went to get the coffee at the coffee machine, there were posters all over the school, there's going to be a dance next Saturday!" Temari said excitedly. Hinata and Sakura beamed.

"I was wondering when they'd be organising one. Are you guys going to go with someone specific?" Sakura asked, smirking. Hinata blushed.

"N-Naruto, of course." She said and smiled.

"I'm not sure; I might just go by myself…" Temari sighed. Sakura nodded her head.

"I'll go with you then."

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"Ino-chan, switch with Sakura-chan." Itachi ordered as he flipped a burger.

"Yes, boss." She said and grabbed one of the big plates and left out to see the crowd of waiting costumers. Sakura quickly took out the pepperoni pizza from the oven and put it on the counter, cutting it in 4 pieces as fast and efficiently as she could.

"Order 45!" She called. Sasuke, one of the waiters, quickly came in and took the order, a miniature pizza. He ripped out five new orders and set them down were the pizza once lay. He then left without a word to deliver it to the specific table.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Itachi said, obviously in a rush. "We're packed in here, we need to move faster! Karin-chan, stop fooling around!" He ordered and took the fries out of the deep fryer.

Most of the day was as hectic as this, if not more. When the café closed up, everyone was completely exhausted, and took the last fifteen minutes to relax and talk. Sakura, who still played the role as the 'newcomer', didn't talk much during these meetings.

"I think we should add more to the vegan menu. I mean, there are lots of girls out there who want to be healthier!" Ino said. Itachi nodded his head and sucked some more juice out of his straw.

"I'm not a fan of tofu, but I think that would work." Tenten said approvingly.

"What about something for guys? We like big portions on our plates!" Naruto said, beaming.

"That's right. Our costumers are hungry people; they shouldn't have to spend twice as much to have two of the exact same meals just to fill themselves up." Neji said, nodding slowly.

"I think both ideas are fine. So I'll work on two new menus, the vegan menu and the large portioned menu. Do you guys have any suggestions for things on the menus?" Itachi asked as he wrote down in his large notebook. Sakura stared blankly at her water bottle, twirling it in her hands.

Her attention drifted from the conversation and to the circling water inside the bottle. It reminded her of something. She didn't know what it was… but she could only remember that she hadn't gone for a swim in a while. She made a mental note of taking a swim at the school's pool when she had the time.

"What do you think, Sakura-chan?" Karin asked, smirking devilishly.

"Huh? What?" She stuttered and set her bottle on the table. She could hear some chuckling around the table. "Gomen, I wasn't paying attention."

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan… These conversations are **very** important. You wouldn't want to lose you job, would you?" Karin said, still holding the same expression of satisfaction. Everyone was silent, just watching the two. Sakura's clueless expression turned to one of annoyance. Karin was trying to kick her out of the café.

_Ha, I don't think so._

"Of course not. Do you want me to lose my job?" Sakura asked, glaring at Karin.

"I said nothing like that." Karin huffed and turned to her apple. Sakura got off her chair so fast; some might have thought she jumped.

"Unlike you, I am here for a good reason." Sakura stated. With every day her temper seemed to shorten, faster and faster.

"What's that?" Karin asked, "You need money to run away from home?"

"I don't have a home." Sakura said firmly. Most of them, excluding the all-knowing Ino, seemed slightly surprised.

"So you're homeless, right?" Karin asked, almost laughing.

"Shut up." Sakura said angrily. Itachi stood up, ready to end the fight.

"If you girls can't get along, then I might have to take you both off the job He said. Sakura slowly sat down, staring at her bottle of water again.

"Gomenasai, Itachi-kun." They both mumbled.

"Good. Now, I think that's enough for tonight. See you all on Monday." He said and left in a matter of seconds, as usual. Karin was second to get up and leave, then others followed. Sakura slowly got up at the same time as everyone one else and headed for the door.

"Sakura-chan… What do you mean by you don't have a home?" Tenten asked, worried.

"I mean I don't have a home. My mother is… Well, I don't want to talk about." Sakura said; she could sense Sasuke walking behind them, listening curiously. Tenten frowned as Sakura ran outside.

**Sakura's P.O.V.**

I ran outside and fast as I could, I didn't want to start crying in front of them. Why must I keep running? Geez, I forgot my umbrella.

_Damn it._

Hinata was right, it was raining. It was raining pretty hard, too. I stopped running, I didn't want to slip and make things worse. I was clumsy, remember?

_Am I crying, or is it simply the rain?_

I'm always confused, why do these things always happen to me? I wonder whether it's just some horrible curse in my family or something. If there is a heaven, then I don't care if I die and go see my mother…

_**But I have**__** better things to do than die.**_

My fathers till needs me. I'll go see him soon… someday. I hope that when he wakes up I'll be by his side, which would be really nice. I nearly jumped when I heard loud honking, the sounds of my car accident were still replaying in my head, and I thought I was going to die again.

BUT…

It turned out to be someone following me in their nice Mercedes. I kept walking, ignoring them. After a few minutes, I thought that they were gone. I was wrong. As soon as I stepped onto the road, to cross it, the car turned and stopped in front of me.

"Get in." I heard.

_**Hell no.**_

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to keep calm. All windows were tinted, so I couldn't see it for myself. A familiar head popped out of the window, which had just opened. I gawked at the face and pointed at the person very rudely, stuttering, "S-S-Sasuke?!"

"Get in, baka." He said, more like he was ordering me. As much as I'd have liked to, it didn't seem like such a smart idea.

"How do I know that you aren't going to rape me or something?" I asked nervously, covering myself. He rolled his eyes and opened the door.

"Get in, or I'll make you." He said. This time, it was **definitely** an order. I shrugged, _What much could I lose now? If he's offering then, might as well take it._ I ran to the car, still soaking wet, and slid inside the back seat.

"Where's Itachi?" I asked hopefully, looking around. I was also hoping he'd be nice and give me his warm and dry jacket.

"Not here." He said and started driving again, really fast by the way. I frowned, that wasn't helpful. "Why? You scared I'll do something to you?"

"Yeah." I admitted bravely. He snorted.

"Where were you heading too, home?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Didn't you hear me before? I don't have a home." _Chicken butt head. He probably thought I was lying._

"What about your parents?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"…" I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, _damn smartass_.

"School. I'm in the dorms, remember?" I said, rubbing my arms for heat. This guy just couldn't give me his darn jacket.

"Yeah… I remember." He laughed and turned into the school's parking lot. That was fast.

"What's so funny?" I asked suspiciously, ready to open the door and leave.

"Nothing, nothing." He said. But as soon as I opened the door and got out, I could've sworn he said: "Except green piglets…"

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Sakura was furious. Her evening was like a hell… well not so much, but she liked to exaggerate. When she had entered the school all wet it made people stop and look - when they realized Sasuke walking behind her, it made them do a double-take. It was not only embarrassing but annoying as well, because right after staring with boggling eyes, they just **had** to go and follow the two.

_They're such snoops._

When they noticed that they split ways, some of them scattered. The more persistent ones were standing right outside Sakura's door, trying to hear if she'd relieve anything to Hinata. But she wasn't stupid, nope.

_There's nothing interesting to hear here people…_

Hinata and Temari had just come back with two big laundry baskets, which they dumped onto the floor and left again, to get the others. Sakura sighed. Alone she was again. She walked to her basket to fold and put away her clothes. As she slowly did so, she over- thought the fact that she was actually working at the café with Sasuke and regretted it. As long as Karin was there, there was no way to do anything.

_The big unbreakable wall that is Karin_.

As Sakura filed her brain Temari and Hinata came back inside. They were used to Sakura's evolving weird behaviour, so they paid her no attention when they heard her muttered to herself. As the arranged their clothes as well, Sakura suddenly jumped up and let out a long, piercing scream.

"Sakura!!" Hinata squeaked with her hands over her ears. Even after Sakura's scream had left her lips, her mouth was left wide open, and her eyes showing confusion and horror.

"Well…? What is it?" Temari asked impatiently, cautiously removing her hands from her ears. They looked at her strangely; she has holding a pair of underwear. "What the hell are you doing?!" She asked.

"T-T-The…" Sakura stuttered. The two waited impatiently. "I-It's pink with… G-Green piglets!!" Sakura said and threw it back into the laundry basket as if it were a scary insect. Hinata and Temari began to laugh at her.

"Sakura-chan!! You were wearing that when Sasuke came here!" Temari said between fits of laughter. Sakura scowled at her, then blushed and quickly covered herself.

"H-How do you know that?!" Sakura squeaked.

"Well we kinda saw it, when you were in your silk night gown…" Hinata mumbled. Sakura's eyed widened.

"It's not that short!!" She insisted.

"We saw it when you fell, after you saw us at the door." Temari explained, still trying to contain her giggles.

"B-But… Sasuke didn't see it, right?" Sakura asked; feeling utterly terrified. They quickly glanced at each other, and Sakura understood.

Then, she fainted.

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When she woke up, it was the next morning; a Monday. It was the wretched time for school again. After her first two classes, Sakura had to run to the cafeteria to be first in line. She was quite surprised with herself; she expected that- since she was very clumsy- she would have tripped over something.

_Here I stand; over all you minor creatures._

When the food started being put out, Sakura walked down towards the pizza; every Monday they had some, and that drove the students crazy. She then grabbed a tiny chocolate cupcake and something to drink. Right after that, she walked towards her table; she didn't realize that someone was following her.

"Out of the way!!" Someone yelled, she believed it was Naruto, and ran past her. As he passed, he roughly brushed her shoulder, making her loose her grip on the contents she held.

_**Damn it.**_

Sakura's plate flew forwards, sending her chocolate cupcake and pizza in her face. Though her glass of fruit punch flew over her shoulder and she heard a noise of splatter. As she looked into the eyes staring at her, she noticed something strange.

_**Please, PLEASE,**_ _don't let it be Sasuke._

She slowly turned and saw that Karin was standing behind her. She had a furious look on her face, Sakura's fruit punch had ruin her favourite blue shirt. Sakura's jaw dropped as she tried to apologize. "Oh! I-I'm so sorry!!"

_Yeah. Right…_

"Do you know how much I pay for my clothes?!" Karin screamed. Sakura tried to act innocent.

"N-No…"

_Do you even check the price before you flash your credit card__…?_

**Sakura's P.O.V.**

It looked like Karin was ready to jump me, and her friends were with her as well. As I steadied my pose, I could hear my friends approaching, I could hear Hinata's voice, and they were trying to get into the center of the circle. I would have been happy to have Gaara save my ass, but it was too late. Karin jumped- literally- onto me, knocking me very hard onto the ground.

The shock had knocked out my air supply, and as I gasped for breath she punch me across the face. It wasn't too hard of a punch; I don't think she'd want to leave a big mark. She tried to swing at me again but I caught her arm, amazingly. I slapped her across the face, making her grow angrier. I managed to lift her body from mine, making her trip over her feet and fall back.

She was back on her feet before I was on my knees and lunged for my hair. It was the first time I'd gotten in a fight, actually it was more exhilarating than painful. I'd never felt so consumed by adrenaline in my life. She had almost grabbed my hair when something stopped her. I could barely hide my disappointment.

Fine Gaara, go and ruin the fun.

Wait…

That's not Gaara.

"Sasuke-kun!!" Me and Karin both yelled. He was holding Karin back, who had stopped squirming as soon as she realized who he was. Karin was beaming, but her happiness didn't last. He quickly let go of her and scowled at me, obviously unhappy with my behaviour.

_What is he, my mom?_

I immediately regretted that thought. "What do you think you're doing?" An angry voice asked loudly, but it wasn't Sasuke. Gaara had beaten him to it. I instantly jumped to my feet. He fiercely swung me around to face him, giving me that _are-you-on-drugs_ look.

"N-Nothing." I stuttered, his stare scared me, even.

"Why the hell did you do that?" He asked coldly, tightening his grip on my arm.

"She started it!" I whined, but only felt my hand and fingers getting number. He dragged me outside to talk to me, as he did so I could feel Sasuke's piercing eyes on me. Hinata and Sai thought it better to leave us alone and went to sit at the table, which was still half-owned by Sasuke.

**Normal P.O.V.**

As soon as the door shut she opened her mouth to explain, but he was faster. "Are you trying to get suspended?" He asked. Her mouth was frozen open, waiting to see if he might want to interrupt again.

He only waited quietly for me to speak.

"I spilled juice on her shirt and she got mad, I didn't provoke her in anyway! She jumped me and we started fighting." She explained quickly. Gaara sighed, as his expression seemed to soften.

"Next time I won't let you off so easily." He muttered and walked back inside. She let out a deep breath, and put her hand on her jaw. It ached terribly, _Maybe Karin had punched me harder than I thought._


	4. Chapter 4

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!  
After writting only three chapters (Well, it's four now) of this story, I found out that I would like to change it slightly. In this chapter, everything will be seen in Sakura's eyes, instead of changing the P.O.V. (point of view).  
Arigatou gozaimasu!!!**

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**Moving In!**

**Chapter 4:**

**Tuesday**

I sat in the nurse's office. My cheek had swollen up quite a bit, and it had a faint blue-ish color. She was rummaging through her things and finally pulled out a tiny bottle. She dipped a small cloth in the ointment inside the bottle and started dabbing my cheek. "I-Itai! Itai!" I squeaked as she kept applying the ointment to my cheek.

"There, all done." She said and sent me a wide smile. I gave a weak smile and hopped off the bed I had been sitting on. "You'll have another check-up tomorrow and then you'll be fine." She said and I nodded my head. The nurse was a kind old woman, who had worked at Konoha High since she was thirty years old. Now, she was about fifty years old.

I thanked her and left the office. The halls in our school had big windows, as did the classrooms. We could see what was going on outside and those outside could see inside, of course. As I walked down the hall to get back to my room, I saw Sasuke sitting on a bench outside, occupied with his Blackberry.

_Damn rich kid…_

I pretended to act as though I hadn't noticed that he wasn't there, but as though he sensed my presence, his head turned towards me. I stopped walking and sighed, he was moving his index finger back and forth at me, telling me to come. He stared at me as I walked outside and headed towards him. "Hi Sasuke-kun." I greeted him bitterly. He could obviously see right through my anger, because he frowned.

"What's wrong with you now?" He asked and nearly smirked.

"Nothing." I snapped. He didn't say anything, so I began to walk back towards the door. Unfortunately, he called me back.

"Sakura-chan, are you really okay?" He asked loudly. I turned around and scowled at him. He wasn't concerned, he was only curious.

"I'm fine." I said through clenched teeth.

"Whatever…" I heard him mumble as I walked back towards the door. I stopped in my tracks and whispered, loud enough for him to hear.

"Pervert."

I thought I might have heard him chuckling right before I shut the door behind me. I kept walking towards the stairs, so I could go up to my dorm room. I ran up the stairs quickly, trying to escape from the continuous windows. When I was at the last stair I tripped, completely falling over and dropping my books.

_Oh god… Shoot me now._

I heard the giggling of a few girls as they passed. "Hey Sakura-chan." Naruto said, helping me pick up my books. Beside him were Ino and Tenten, who immediately noticed me.

"Ino-chan, Tenten-chan!" I gasped. They both smiled.

"We were looking for you everywhere!" Ino said, helping me onto my feet. "Our dorms are on the north half of the school, that's why we never see you." Ino explained. I nodded my head as I looked at their uniforms, still somewhat dazed. The school was so big that it had to be divided in two; there were nearly three thousand students in the school.

"You want to come see my dorm?" Sakura asked happily. They nodded their heads and followed her towards it. Once we arrived at the door, I turned to face them. "Wait a minute..." I said and disappeared inside. Neither Hinata nor Temari were there. I kicked all the clothes that were on the floor under the beds, conveniently hiding them. I then went back to the door and let the group inside.

"Nice." Tenten said. In our dorm we had a 42 inch flat screen TV – courtesy of the Hyuuga Company – Temari's laptop, as well as mine, my old radio, a tiny garbage can, a mini fridge, a microwave, one ordinary bed and a bunk bed. Hinata didn't need to bring her laptop, since she had quite a large amount of money, she had her own Blackberry.

"You're so lucky to have Hinata in your dorm room! I would die to have a TV this big…" Ino said in awe as she stared at it. Tenten sat down at our desk, which held our laptops. Beside it was our diner table, where we rarely ate. I smiled at my company.

"We have to share our room with Karin-chan and she complains about **everything**!!" Tenten whined. Naruto sat on the floor beside me, he had been quite silent- it was strange. "I don't know if I should tell you this, but Karin-chan really dislikes you, Sakura-chan." I nodded my head.

_Don't worry, I know._

Naruto let out a deep sigh, and my mind was starting to shuffle again. "What's wrong?" I finally asked him. Ino was looking everywhere for the remote and Tenten was turning one my laptop, curious. He turned his eyes towards me; he had such a heavy look on his young and usually bright face.

"I haven't had ramen in days…" He sighed. I raised an eyebrow.

"What's so bad about that?" I asked. I shouldn't have said that. His eyes widened and he gripped my shoulders, he looked hysterical.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! I CAN'T **LIVE** WITHOUT RAMEN!!!" He yelled over dramatically. I rolled my eyes and got up, letting his hands slip away. I picked up the remote, which had been right beside Tenten and passed it to Ino, who seemed overjoyed. I then walked to the fridge and took out a familiar food. I passed it to Naruto. His eyes widened even more, if possible.

He ran to the microwave with his instant ramen in hand and stuck it inside; he'd be in heaven in three minutes. "Why is everyone's life so simple, yet mine is complicated to such an atrocious extent?" I mumbled to myself and fell onto my bed. I heard a familiar click and saw Hinata come inside. She looked slightly shaken.

"Hey Sakura, who are…?" She asked quietly and stared and Tenten and Ino; they hadn't even noticed her. I quickly sat up.

"This is Tenten-chan, and that's Ino-chan." I explained happily. Hinata gave me a confused look. I thought she might have been annoyed that I had brought them here, but them she grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "What's wrong?" I asked, feeling slightly cautious.

"Didn't you get my e-mail?" She asked quietly, carefully keeping her voice low. I shook my head. I knew something was wrong, and it seemed quite urgent. Her phone suddenly rang. She quickly took out her blackberry and answered it, turning her back on me.

"Whatever… Sure." She said and angrily pushed a button, hanging up. She turned to me again with a concerned look on her face. This wasn't like Hinata; she was usually quite cheerful.

"What's _wrong_?" I asked impatiently. She let out a deep sigh.

"It's your dad."

I could feel the blood wash out of my face.

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"Sakura, calm down!" Hinata urged; I was driving her Porsche recklessly down the wide road. I was well beyond the speed limit, but the road was nearly empty anyway, no one could stop me now. She was looking at me, concern filling her bright purple eyes.

"I can't. I have to see him." I murmured and managed to pass before the light turned from yellow to red with an impressive acceleration. Hinata looked utterly terrified; she seemed too nauseous to watch the road. She decided to stop bothering, and let me concentrate on the road. I wasn't the best driver, but the adrenaline would keep me safe… for now.

I swerved down the road and drove into the hospital's parking lot. I stopped so roughly that Hinata had to hold onto her seat belt to avoid smacking her head. By the time she opened her eyes, I was already outside, running to the door. I slowed down to a slow walk, for her to catch up. Once she was at my side, I sprinted again. I wasn't really watching carefully, and I rammed into something hard and cold.

**THUD**

I fell onto my back heard Hinata squeak and halt to a stop as well. I quickly sat up, unaware of what I might have smacked into. All I knew was that it was painful. "Are you okay, Sakura?" Hinata asked cautiously. I nodded my head, which felt unnaturally heavy at the moment. I quickly got up, nonetheless.

"What are you doing?" I heard. I looked up and immediately narrowed my eyes. It wasn't my fault; it was just an unstoppable reaction.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun." I blurted angrily, not feeling at all sorry. Hinata glanced back and forth, from me to him. Finally she frowned.

"Are we going or not?" She seemed as impatient as I was. I nodded my head, and was about to leave, when Sasuke blocked my way. He was smirking that annoying… smirk… of his.

"What's the hurry?" He asked curiously. He was looking into my eyes, and I felt him reading me, it made me feel self-conscious.

"Stop it!" I blurted out again. He raised an eyebrow, but kept watching me. "Follow me or whatever you want, but just let me pass!" I said quickly, my mood had changed in less than half a second. He let me pass, but he didn't follow.

Hinata and I ran up the stairs, the elevator would take too long. Once we were on the right floor, I ignored Hinata heavy breathing, and kept running to the door. I burst it open. My father lay there, unconscious. My face, still pale, was confused. A doctor turned towards me, but he didn't say anything. Hinata finally reached the door, still panting uncontrollably.

"I don't get it. What's wrong with him?" I asked weakly, I was dragging my feet to his bed. I fell onto a chair placed beside it, and could feel the utter emptiness take over. I knew what he was going to say. It happened all the time.

"He almost woke up." The doctor mumbled. "It was a false alarm. I'm sorry." I didn't care about what he had said, realization had sunk such a long time ago, it seemed. Hinata stood next to me, rubbing my back. She had tears in her eyes, but I couldn't cry. I didn't feel like crying right now, I couldn't waste my tears.

A solid ten minutes passed when I got sick of the place.

"Let's go back then." I told Hinata after taking a deep breath. She nodded her head and bit her lip as she watched me stand. In a few minutes, I was in the passenger's seat, next to Hinata. I looked fit to be driving, Hinata was tried to hold back her sobs.

"Don't worry, it happens all the time." I told her. Things felt reversed, and I was okay with that. I promised myself that I would be, and I didn't intend to break any promises. She nodded her head stiffly and revved the engine. I looked up from my shaky fingers. Sasuke was standing right outside, not watching us directly, but paying attention.

I suddenly opened the door and climbed out of the car, leaving Hinata speechless. I walked up to him angrily, and he turned his head to me curiously. "Why can't you mind your own business?" I asked in a calm voice. He seemed amused by me, and I hated it. He didn't answer me right away.

"Why are you so difficult?" He slowly asked.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped.

"If you needed a place to live, you should have asked me." He said and a sly smirk spread across his face. I could really punch him right now. How dare he insult me like that? I could never move in with him… it was absurd! I turned on my heel and stalked towards the car. I opened the door and got inside. I struggled to hold in a gasp, for he was standing there; holding the door.

His eyes were concentrated, slightly narrowed, his eyebrows creasing softly. His smirk disappeared and in came a very serious look. He spoke in a dead serious tone, too.

"I'm not joking."

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It all happened so fast.

I was _moving in_ with Sasuke-kun and Itachi-kun. It was scary, actually. They lived in the higher end of the neighbourhood, near Hinata's house.

That was the best part.

I was living with two perfectly _capable _men.

That was the worst part.

I had my own room upstairs, and I knew I would miss the dorms. But, I had to admit, it was just like home.

Except it was more **intimidating**, much **bigger** and _**gut**_ **wrenchingly** quieter.

My things were being dropped off into the room by the movers. The room was gigantic, it made me feel… small. I never realized how little my belongings were. It was strange. "How are you holding up?" I heard Sasuke ask. He was leaning against the door very attractively (in fact, everything he does makes him look so) and he was smirking again.

"Fine." I said dryly and sat on my bed, hardly taking one quarter of it. He walked inside and looked around. He seemed to nod approvingly. "What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing is pink." He seemed surprised and delighted; I could tell he hated that color. I frowned at him. He glanced at my hair, then back to the walls. "Your hair is an exception, of course."

"Well, just to tell you, I'm not changing my hair." I said and opened my laptop. He walked over to my bed and looked over my shoulder, to the screen. I had a large amount of e-mails from an unknown sender. I click on one. It was overflowed with profound words and cussing.

I ignored it and went to the next. It was pretty much the same. I glared at my screen angrily. All these e-mails were threats and warnings. I still didn't know who sent them. "It looks like Karin-chan found out about this pretty fast." Sasuke mumbled.

It all clicked in my head. It made sense that Karin would be angry, but it seemed like she wasn't the only one who knew. She couldn't have possibly sent all of these by herself… unless of course, she had nothing better to do than stalk Sasuke.

I shut my laptop and dumped it onto my desk. I was already feeling home sick. I wanted my dorm room back. There was nothing to do here. Sasuke sat on the bed, beside me. My face turned a deep red and I moved a little to the side.

"You're still scared, aren't you?" He said, making sound like more of a statement than a question. I scowled at him and looked away. He lied down onto his side my bed and put his head in his left hand. I couldn't turn to look at him, it was too much to handle. I had just moved into a stranger's house, without thinking twice.

_W__hy did I come here, then? This is ridiculous._

That was what Hinata had told me, that it was ridiculous. She was right; I didn't know what they could do to me. I trusted them though. I trusted them enough to make anyone think I was insane. I heard him chuckling, and had to turn around. He stared at me, waiting for any reaction.

"Why am I here?" I asked, feeling dizzy.

"Because you came here." He answered. I thought for a moment.

"Do you think I'm crazy for coming here?" I asked him and looked at the floor. There was a short pause. He shook his head. I smiled, at least I still had some bits of what you call 'sane' in me.

"I think this is very wrong." Itachi said. I quickly turned my head to see him standing right outside my room. "I have some rules I'd like to clear up for you all." He said and crossed his arms. I nodded my head. "One: I won't set a curfew of any sort, though I expect you to be home at a reasonable time. No one wants to get woken up in the middle of the night. Two: Breakfast is set at seven o'clock sharp. Lunch is at twelve, and supper is at six. Three: There are locks on the doors for a reason. Don't try to knock them down to get into a room…" He continued. I thought I might need to take notes… "Four: If you have any, er… business to do, please keep it quiet." My eyebrow twitched. "Five: Follow these rules and you should be fine. I hope you behave." He said and closed the door.

I stared at the door blankly. "So, tell me about your life." Sasuke seemingly demanded. I sighed. It would be best to spill the beans, or he would never leave me alone. I told him about my mother passing away, after being sick for years, and about my father in a coma. He listened carefully. It was strange to see him listen to me so deeply. Not once did he interrupt, it was discomforting. I told him everything anyway, I had nothing to lose.

"That's… interesting." He said when I finished. I didn't smile; I was too preoccupied with something else. "And I thought you were a complete waste of time." He said. I punched his shoulder and glared at him. "Well then, I guess you still are." He snickered and got up.

"Where are you going?" I asked frantically. It wasn't even thought about, I just reacted. I quickly regained calm and looked away.

"What's wrong? Do you have separation anxiety?" He asked and frowned at me.

"No!"

"Calm down, I'm just going to get a glass of water." He grumbled and left. I always thought Sasuke was cold and indifferent. Instead he was bizarre and out of character. I think I like him better that way. Temari-chan didn't know him as well as I thought she did, I suppose.

I nearly jumped when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I let out a sigh; I thought I was going to die… again. It happens all the time. I picked up the phone lazily and answered. "Moshi Moshi."

"Hey, Sakura." Gaara responded. I immediately smiled and got comfortable on my bed.

"Hi Gaara!" I said happily.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" He asked; his tone was suddenly much darker than before.

"W-What?" I stuttered nervously.

"Why did you move in with the Uchiha?! It's not safe there!" He almost yelled. Gaara sure liked to play the role of my absent parents.

"Don't get so worked up about it. It's nothing special." I told him.

"You just moved in to a stranger's house. How isn't that special, Sakura?" He asked angrily. I let out a deep sigh.

"Just trust me, okay? I have a good plan."

"A good plan for what? Tell me everything." He urged.

"Gaara, I told you to trust me!"

"I do trust you. It's the boy I don't trust."

"If you're going to act like you own me or something than stop it! I'm not going to talk to you until you become _my_ Gaara, the one who's supposed to be my best friend." I snapped and hung up on him furiously.

"You should try and tame that temper of yours." Sasuke mumbled. I turned my head in surprise so fast I got whiplash. I angrily rubbed my aching neck as he came beside with his glass of water, already half-empty.

"Shut up, Sasuke-kun." I said and turned away from him. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on people." I muttered.

"Well, it's hard when you're practically yelling and your door is wide open for everyone to hear." He countered. I rolled my eyes. I hadn't been in this house for twenty-four hours yet and I was already making a huge fuss about things.

"Everything is really messed up today. Just go away." I said and stretched out on my bed. He surprisingly obeyed me and left the room, remembering to close the door this time. I sighed and before I could do much of anything else, I fell into unconsciousness.

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**Wednesday**

When I woke up I found myself in the same position. Nothing in my room had changed, but I knew that something here was strange. I gasped and pulled the covers over my head. I was in my silk night gown, someone had changed me! I heard something fall over and peeked over my blanket. There was a beautiful woman in my room, her looks made me jealous.

I realized that she was the maid, for she was dressed for it. "Oh, Sakura-san. You're awake! I took the liberty of changing your clothes for you. They're in the laundry basket." She explained and gave me a nice smile. Though it was still unsettling, I was glad that it was a woman who changed me, and not… I'd rather not think about that.

I jumped out of my bed. It was relatively early; I had gone to sleep early, after all. I ran up to her and watched her pick up the book she had dropped, and put it back on my desk. "You don't have to do that… I can clean up after myself." I told her.

"Oh- No! No! It's my job…" She told me and smiled again, I could see past it though. She looked as though she could use some rest.

"You know what, why don't you rest for today? I'll do your job." I suggested generously.

"Oh, I couldn't-"

"Don't worry! Now, rest." I said and pushed her onto my bed. She looked bewildered for a moment, but gave in easily. She reached into her pocket and gave me a list of things she would need me to do. I nodded my head, but I began to doubt whether I'd be able to do everything with school to go to and a job to work through.

"Are you sure about this…?" She asked.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine!" I lied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Moving In!**

**Chapter 5 - Dreams:**

I vacuumed the carpet savagely backwards and forwards. There was a tiny piece of bread stuck inside it and I was desperate to get it out. "What are you doing…?" Sasuke asked when he was passing by my room and saw me harassing his carpet. I suddenly screamed, causing him to jump. Then I closed my mouth and nodded my head.

"Sorry, I forgot you lived here too." I said breathlessly. I then turned back to the vacuum and continued. He walked towards me and grabbed my wrist. He used his other hand to turn off the noisy vacuum and picked up the piece of bread wedged in the carpet. I stared at the bread with wide eyes. He let me stare at it for a second, and then threw it in the garbage.

"Have you never used a vacuum before?" He asked me, raising an eyebrow. I frowned at him. "Why are you vacuuming anyway? Where's the maid…?" Sasuke asked and looked around, expected her head to pop out somewhere.

"I'm doing her job for her today." I explained and smiled. He looked at me incredulously.

"Why?" He asked, as though I had lost my mind. I shrugged. I was just a random impulsive decision I had made, just like when I accepted to be moved into Sasuke's house… I seemed as though I had lost most of my sanity after having that meeting with my father. That hope that had filled my heart was gone in a flash, and I think that hope didn't leave by itself. "Sakura-chan…?" I snapped up and saw him staring at me very intrusively.

"Gomen…" I mumbled robotically and looked at the vacuum. Ah, that's right. I was vacuuming when this jerk came in. He just watched as I walked away from the vacuum and towards the wall. I stopped in front of it.

"What are you doing…?" He asked. I turned towards him. I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize him approaching me. I walked towards him blindly and hit my head against his shoulder.

"Itai!! What the- What's wrong with you?" I complained and held my head in my hands.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He asked very seriously (in my mind this meant: "Oh my god! Are you okay?). I shook my head and was pushed onto my bed. "Stay there." He ordered me and left the room.

"I'm fine!" I called after him. I suppose he didn't hear me, because he didn't come back right away. I wanted to go do my job, but I felt slightly dizzy at the moment. My brain was so overflowed with thoughts that I didn't know which ones were which. I got under my blanket, becoming suddenly overjoyed by the fact that Sasuke would be taking care of me. It was still very early; I had almost forgotten that today was a school day.

I had a little over an hour before school would start, plus Sasuke's house was very close to it. It was a maximum five minute walk. I turned onto my side and let my eyes close. Before I knew it, I was in a very interesting dream…

_It started when I was walking around in a familiar place. It was my old house. I jumped over the fence and broke inside. Everything was clear… but there was no furniture in the room. The place was filled with boxes and bigger objects, too big to fit inside the boxes. I heard footsteps come down the stairs, which were visible as soon as anyone entered the house. There was a beautiful woman walking towards me._

"_Oka-san?" I mumbled as she kept walking. She turned into the kitchen, completely ignoring my presence. I followed her and saw her drinking a glass of water. "Oka-san!!" I said happily and hugged her, not caring if her water soaked my clothes.. Well, I would have… but I fell right through her and landed on the cold tile floor. _

_I didn't know what was wrong, but I was invisible. She looked at the counter and picked up a picture frame.__ As I got up, I noticed that my mother was crying, no, sobbing. Tears were pouring out of her eyes, and she was almost hyperventilating. I looked at the picture very closely._

_It was me._

I woke up screaming louder than I ever had before. I was curled up in a ball and I had my hands on my head. My scream stretched out under I lost my mouth. I opened my soaked eyelids, and let my tears fall out mercilessly. I looked at my clock; I had only been sleeping for three minutes. I gasped when I looked into the mirror on my wall.

My face was paler than a sheet of paper, and beads of sweat were falling all over my face. My door suddenly burst open, and I let out another scream. Sasuke yelled something at me I couldn't understand. I suddenly shut my mouth, and turned to him.

"Am I still dreaming?" I asked fearfully. He could probably see the absolute terror in my eyes, because he nodded his head pretty fast. I took in a deep breath. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale… Itachi looked at me strangely, as if I were frozen in a block of ice.

"You don't look so good." He said.

"I feel fine." I lied, my shaky voice didn't help.

"Hn." Sasuke said sarcastically. A woman came in, she looked like a nurse. I waited for her to reach my bed to look up at her. Her eyes were soft and brown, very calming. I took in another deep breath. She stuck a thermometer in my mouth and put her hand on my forehead.

"You have a fever, but it's not too bad." She noted and took away her hand. "Mind if I ask you some questions?" She asked politely. I shook my head. She smiled and turned expectantly to Sasuke and Itachi, who immediately understood and left the room.

"Why do they have to leave?" I asked quietly.

"Do you want them to stay?" She asked and frowned.

"What? No, no! Just asking…" I said warily. She nodded her head and smiled again.

"Alright, so how old are you Haruno-san?" She asked.

"I'm seventeen years old." I said and sighed.

"Are you pregnant?"

"No."

"Have you ever had children?"

"No."

"Have you recently participated in sexual activity?"

"No!! None of that!"

"Gomen."

"It's okay."

"Why don't you live with your parents?"

"Because I can't."

"Why not?"

"…"

"It's okay, you can tell me."

"Because one's dead and the other one has been in the hospital for the past five years."

"Oh…"

"Next question."

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I walked out of the shower silently. School was starting in half an hour and I felt well enough to go. It wasn't really a matter of my health though; I wanted to see my friends again. I changed into my uniform and combed my hair under the hair dryer. I stared into the mirror and made myself look as perfect as possible; such must be expected in the Uchiha household, ne?

I walked out of the bathroom and swung my bag over my shoulder. I skipped down the spiral staircase and towards the kitchen. It was completely empty, except for a piece of toast in a plate on the island. I walked towards it and picked it up. There was strawberry jam on it! I ate it quickly as I walked towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Itachi asked. I quickly turned around and saw him in a tight black muscle shirt and slightly baggy jeans. I struggled not to drool and quickly turned my head to the door. He didn't seem to notice the red coloring on my cheeks.

"I'm going to school." I said breathlessly, still looking away. I heard him chuckle and walk away to the kitchen. I turned to check, I was right. I heard him open the fridge and close a few seconds later.

"I don't think you should go." He said in a singsong voice and I heard him put a pan on the stove. I scowled at the wall.

"Why?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

"You should wait 'till things cool down a bit."

"Wait until what cools down?"

"Oh, you'll see." He simply said. The sound of sizzling was heard from the kitchen. He was probably cooking bacon. I took the last bite of my toast and walked out.

When I arrived at school, I realized why Itachi had told me not to come. I was walking around with Gaara, Sai and Hinata. Wait… I was **running**. There was a rather large group of fangirls chasing me angrily, screaming questions at me like: "HOW DID YOU DO IT?!" and: "WHAT WAS YOUR STRATEGY?!"

I knew exactly what they were talking about; Gaara had reminded me with a scowl right before we entered the school. He was so mad at me that he wouldn't even speak a word to me. We ran into a supply closet and Gaara held it shut.

"We… finally… got… away…" Hinata said between deep breaths. My eyes were wide with, not fear, but shock. Sasuke really need to get 'unpopular'. Sai turned to me, beaming.

"That was fun, let's do it again!" He said. I smacked his shoulder, but that guy was so preoccupied by his thoughts that he didn't notice. Gaara sent me another scowl before glaring holes into a wall.

"I'm sorry Gaara!" I repeated for the umpteenth time. He didn't even flinch at the sound of my voice. Talk about a cold shoulder…

"So… how was it over there?" Hinata asked. I was hoping she'd change the subject.

"It was… eventful." I said and looked towards the ceiling.

"Did something happen?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah… I guess." I mumbled. I saw a sly smirk spread across Sai's face and kicked him hard in the shin- he could never avoid it in such a crowded closet. i _This_ /i time he noticed. "Nothing like **that**." I snapped and watched him shut his eyes and muffle his cries of agony.

"Then… what?" Hinata asked, completely ignoring him.

"I had a really weird dream." I told them and finally looked down from the ceiling. They waited anxiously. "In my dream… I was a ghost." I mumbled.

"How do you know you were a ghost?" Sai asked, finally curious (in the right way).

"Because…" I explained everything single detail of my dream. I even saw Gaara narrow his eyes from the corner of my eye. Hinata had a worried look, Sai seemed bored, and Gaara was rather stiff. Before I could open my mouth again the bell rang.

"See you guys at lunch time." I told Sai and Hinata. Gaara and I ran towards our first class together, the silence was starting to kill me. We sat down beside each other in our usual spots. I pushed my desk closer to his, like I always did. He seemed to hesitate, was he deciding whether to ignore me or not now? "Teddy…" I mumbled. He didn't even blink. Normally, he would get pissed off when I called him that. I decided to give up when the second bell rang. Ten minutes into class, something startling happened.

"What?" He finally answered. My face must have brightened up because he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Are you ever going to forgive me?" I asked, though I was still smiling.

"Of course I will."

"Do you forgive me right now?" I asked and gave him my best puppy face. His expression cooled down immediately, I knew it would work!

"I guess. I couldn't stay mad at you even if I wanted to." He sighed in defeat. I beamed and gave him a big hug, the kind he was famous (in my opinion) for: the big bear hug. He rubbed my back and a small smile spread across his face. Kakashi stared at us for a second and raised an eyebrow.

"Err… Sorry." I mumbled and quickly let go of Gaara, I was blushing now. He chuckled and I straightened up in my seat uncomfortably. Kakashi seemed to smile under his mask happily. I grinned at Gaara, who was still smiling.

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"Sakura, are you okay?" Hinata asked worriedly as we walked home. My fever was coming back again, and I could hardly walk. She put my arm over her shoulder and nearly fell over. Hinata was shorter than me, and I was a little wobbly to be carried by her tiny body.

"I'm f-f-fine…" I said through my clattering teeth. She used all her strength to drag me home. I could see the mansion coming closer into my vision.

A deep wave of relief washed through me, I was saved!

When we got to the gate, I pressed the button impatiently. "Let m-me in! I'm s-s-s-sick!!" I said loudly. The gates slowly opened and Hinata dragged me halfway to the house, when Itachi burst out the front door and stood in front of me.

"I told you so." He teased and picked me up into the air. He set me over his shoulders and walked towards the house, as though I weighed less than ten pounds.

"H-H-Hey!" I said in a strained voice. Hinata followed us nervously to the door. She stopped in front of the open door and watched Itachi drop me onto the couch.

"Come in." He said and walked into the kitchen. She came in quickly, as though those words were exactly what she was waiting for. Hinata was too polite for her own good, my health was _so_ much more important.

"What utterly idiotic reason did you have to go to school today?" Sasuke asked as he walked into the living room and saw me lying awkwardly on the couch. I struggled to lift my head up and see his blank expression passing along my body. "You look horrible." He noted.

"I feel horrible too. How surprising…" I muttered and couldn't even find the energy to frown at him. He walked towards me and put his hand on my forehead, checking my temperature. I think I became even hotter at the feel off his cold touch on my skin.

"It's not too bad, but you should rest for a while…" He said and left into the kitchen as well. Itachi came out as Sasuke went in, and threw a wet, cold and folded towel onto my head. I sighed and shivered from the feeling of it.

"Why didn't you stop her from leaving?" Sasuke asked his brother rather calmly.

"I tried…" He said and sighed.

_You only warned me you ass!_

Hinata walked over to my side and kneeled down at my face. "Do you want me to stay here with you?" She asked quietly. I thought for a moment.

"Yeah. I could use some female company." I whispered back and quickly glanced to Sasuke and Itachi. Hinata let out a small giggle and got back up. "Can you bring me to my room?" I asked weakly. Hinata smiled and nodded her head. She helped me get to my feet and she led me to my room. We struggled to get up the stairs, but of course, we managed.

"Oh, it's right there." I said weakly and pointed towards my door. Hinata brought me inside and dropped me onto my bed. She bent down, with her hands on her knees, and breathed very slowly. "Wow… Am I that heavy?" I asked and laughed. She sent me a small smile before sitting down beside me. Sasuke walked into the room silently, as he always did.

"I got your medicine." He said and Hinata jumped up in surprise, not helping her with her breathing. I giggled and took the medicine bottle from him.

"Arigatou." I chimed and Hinata took it from me.

"Itachi said that you'll have to skip work." He said and stared at me blankly. He was acting weird again, like I was a stranger – well, I was a i _kind _of /i stranger... but not as much as I used to be. I stared at him with wide eyes.

"I want to go to work!" I said loudly and sat up. I felt dizzy sitting up, and had trouble focusing on him. I had just got my first check yesterday, and even though it was plenty of money already, I needed more. He pushed me down with one finger on my forehead.

"No." He said simply and glanced at Hinata, who had just managed to open the medicine bottle. "If it makes you happy then you can go shopping for as long as you want when you get better." He suggested at sat at the very end of my bed. Hinata poured the medicine into the tiny cup.

"I'm saving up my money!" I complained and took the tiny cup from Hinata.

"Who said you had to use yours?" He asked and smirked, it made me bubble up inside. I nearly spat out the medicine I had just swallowed and started at him with wide eyes. Hinata seemed surprised as well, but was calmer than I was. "If you don't want it then…"

"Give me money!" I demanded with a beaming smile. He raised an eyebrow at my sudden change of mood. "I want it!" I said loudly and nearly jumped into a sitting position.

"Why?" He asked coolly.

"I need a new car." I explained happily. My face twisted into an unreadable expression, it reminded me of my wrecked smart car and the crash I had been in not too long ago.

"I won't buy you a new car… but I can lend you _some_ money." He sighed and glared at the door, as if he were being force to do this. It all seemed so well rehearsed.

But I didn't care.

I jumped onto him, hugging him tightly. "Arigatou! Arigatou! Arigatou!" I yelled happily. I heard a silent sound and a flash. My eyes suddenly widened in horror as I turn to Hinata and pointed a menacing finger at her. "How dare you?!" I said dramatically as she took another picture.

She laughed out loud and gripped her stomach as she did so. I turned to look at Sasuke, whose face was the color of his favourite food, tomato. "Awww… You're blushing!" I teased and grabbed his cheeks. He suddenly hit my hands away and abruptly stood up.

"I can't do this. Everything is wrong here." He muttered and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I stared blankly at the spot where he had one sat and glanced at Hinata, who has hyperventilating. What was he taking about?

"Sasuke… has... a temper... worse… than… yours…" She said. I glared at her and turned back to the bed. She was right though. Something about was wrong, something about _him_. Maybe Sasuke had multiple personalities. That… **That** would be wrong.

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Hinata stayed with me until I got better, and then had to get back home before her parents would notice her absence. I held up my mirror to my window and watched Hinata pass through the gates, and disappeared down the road. I sigh and put down my mirror.

I grabbed a golf club (Hinata had brought it to me) that was purposely there for me to use, and hit my radio with it. A soft song I immediately recognized began to play and my lips moved slowly with the words. As I sung quietly, I glanced at my golf club again.

A small smirk spread across my face and I lifted the club into the air. I pulled back my arm and threw it as hard as I could towards the door, hoping that someone would hear it and come. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion… As the golf club continued to spin in the air, the door opened.

I froze in place when I noticed that the one standing at the door was Sasuke. I wanted to yell at him to move but my mouth hadn't even opened by the time it hit his flawless face. "Sa-!" I only managed to say. He fell onto the floor like a log and didn't make a sound after that. "…suke…" I finished numbly.

I flew out from underneath the covers and ran (more like dragged my feet) towards him. I fell at his side on my knees and stared at his aggravated expression. His eyes were closed, but just by glancing at his eyebrows and mouth, I could tell he wanted to punch me. A small shiver went down my spine when one eyelid lifted itself.

"Sakura-chan…" He growled. I gulped and braced myself for a long and loud row of curse words. I shut my eyes closed and heard a loud thump. I quickly opened my eyes to see Itachi on the other side of Sasuke, on the floor.

"Why the hell are you lying in the middle of the hall?!" He asked. Sasuke quickly sat up and glared at him furiously.

"Why don't you ask her! It was your idea to have her here anyway!" He yelled. I raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked in confusion. Sasuke had a satisfied expression on his face, while Itachi seemed annoyed. There was a long pause.

"Fine, I'll admit that it was my idea to invite you here…" He started, "But at least I've kissed a girl in my life!" He said loudly. Sasuke face became a very dark red (in anger, don't get me wrong!) and he would've jumped onto his brother, if I hadn't just passed out.

_I was lying in a hospital, I supposed I was dreaming again. I could hear the continuous beeping of the monitor, and it was infuriating. I tried to turn around and try to stop it from doing so. I tried… I did… But I couldn't. My body wouldn't let me move at all. That's when I realized that everything was blurry, as if I had bad eyesight and had dropped my glasses somewhere._

_I soon realized that I knew the place, even through my distraught vision. It was the same exact room as the one that my dad was in. Every angle was the same, the wall were the same pale white; the beds were in the same exact position._

_That was when someone walked inside. Standing right in from of me, I'm sure, was my father. I tired to make a sound but not a sound came from my mouth, which was still closed. It was as though I was asleep, but I could see through my eyelids. 'Oto-san…' I whispered in my head, my voice surprisingly clear._

_He looked at me with tired eyes and sat down beside my bed. I couldn't see his whole body, because my eyes were stuck in the same position. "When will you wake up?" He said in a broken voice. I felt my heart shatter when numerous tears fell down his cheek. 'No… Not again…' I whispered in my mind._

_The roles were, once again, switched. Now __**I**__ was in a coma._

I woke up screaming again, and the Uchiha brothers winced at the loud noise coming from my mouth. I couldn't breathe properly again, and when I looked at them they're eyes held no concern, but held curiosity instead.

"You're not going to die, are you?" Sasuke asked. I bit my lip and let my tears pour down my cheeks as I took in short and quick breaths.

"You idiot, now you made her cry." Itachi told him.

"Shut up." He snapped, still staring at me. I felt so defenceless and weak. I felt like my parents must have. It felt wrong, to be in their place. I wasn't ready to die just yet; who would explain everything to my father, if he ever woke up?

I needed to show my mother that I would live the life they wanted me to, because I knew she was watching, and that had been her dying wish.


	6. Chapter 6

**Moving In!**

**Chapter 6:**

**Thursday**

I sighed and smiled into the mirror hanging in my bathroom. I was humming a song and staring at my forehead, which Sasuke had once touched. As I continued humming my favourite song I walked out of the bathroom in my school uniform. I skipped to my window and opened it as wide as I possibly could. I threw one leg out the window and onto the roof, and then the rest of me. I was humming the James Bond theme.

"I don't care what you say, Sasuke-kun. I'm going to school today." I muttered to myself as my humming faded and I was singing it loudly instead; "Para, Para, Parara, Para Parara!" I carefully walked to the tip of the roof and looked down. Itachi's car was parked right under me, and it was roof-less. I grinned to myself and jumped off the rooftop. I landed neatly inside the car, on the beautiful beige seats. "Yes!" I said and hopped out of the car.

I walked to the gates. '_Shoot… I don't have the key._' I thought. I ran to the stone wall and grabbed the top. I managed to pull myself up and sat on the top of it, looking towards the empty road in triumph. "Sakura-chan!" I heard someone call. I shot my head towards the house, and Sasuke was scowling at me from his car. I immediately stopped singing.

"Shit!" I yelled and jumped off the fence, onto the side walk. I ran down the road as fast as I could, but when I turned my head, I could see he had just gotten through the gates and was chasing me. "Darn it! He's fast!" I gasped as I turned onto another street.

"Baka, stop running!!" He yelled behind me. He was so close, nearly at arm's reach. I felt a small jolt of pain go through my foot as fell into a deep hole. I fell onto my knees but quickly got up again and hopped on one foot. Sasuke slammed into me and we almost fell over. He quickly got his balance back and held my arm. "Baka. I told you to stop running, there was a pothole." He huffed and looked at my ankle, which was hurting.

"Shut up." I muttered and noticed that my ankle was starting to get a little red. It didn't _feel_ sprained, but that was probably because I has too occupied by the fact that Sasuke had **cared**. A sly smirk suddenly spread across my face. He noticed this and raised an eyebrow at me.

"What now?" He asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice. I merely giggled and he rolled his eyes. He let go of my arm and bent down in front of me, "Get on." He said in a regretful voice. I got onto his back and he began to walk back to the house.

"Arigatou." I said quietly.

"Hn." He said. I sighed and closed my eyes, completely enjoying the moment. I felt him flinch as I tightened my grip on him, so as not to fall off. I was humming the James Bond theme unconsciously again, and I could feel his eyes on me. "Sakura-chan?"

"Yes?" I said in a very quiet voice, but it sounded more like: "Yempfsh…?" He turned his head to the road as my humming began again, but quieter this time.

"What are you humming?" He asked. I slowly opened my eyes.

"Don't you know James Bond?" I asked.

"Oh… that's what it was. You're pitch was so off I thought it was something completely different." He teased me. I glared at him, and I knew he was smirking. I could i _feel_ /i him smirking. I tightened my grip around his neck, pretended to want to strangle him.

"You're so mean." I whined. He turned around the corner and grabbed my arm, releasing his neck a little. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he didn't notice.

"I'm not the one who tried to run away from home." Sasuke told her. My heart skipped a beat, but I calmed down soon. When he had said 'home' it had really struck me that the Uchiha household was just that.

_Home._

I snuggled closer to him and closed my eyes again. "Do you mind?" I heard him ask, before I fell asleep.

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When I woke up, I was on the living room couch. I was lying on my back, with my right arm hanging behind my head, my left arm on my stomach, my right leg lying straight, and my left leg off the couch. My body felt a little heavy, and my eyes squinted at the light shining from the ceiling. "Sasuke-kun…?" I mumbled. I heard footsteps approach me, and turned my head towards the sound.

"He's at school right now. I'll have to take care of you until the café opens up." He explained and handed me a mug of hot chocolate. I smiled and took it from him, remembering to thank him too. "Don't you want to know why I told Sasuke to bring you here?" He asked as he leaned back on a chair parallel to the couch I was lying comfortably on.

"Sure…" I said and sipped my hot drink. A smirk slid onto his cheeks and he stood up again.

"Well… You know Sasuke; always closed up, rude, never talks much?" Itachi said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Yeah."

"Well, I thought that Sasuke needed to find the right girl, so I began to search."

"Did you find anyone?" I asked. I heard him chuckle as he came back and stuck a straw into my hot chocolate. He sat down and paused.

"Yes, I think so." He finally answered.

"Oh… Does he like her?" I asked. I tried hard not to sound as jealous as I felt. Itachi shrugged.

"He's opened up a _bit._ But it's still too risky to guess." He said and sent me a strange smile. I looked away and sucked through my straw as a blush crept onto my cheeks. "Well," he continued, "I have to play the role of the matchmaker. So far, everything has been going as planned." He said. I thought I heard him snicker.

"That's… great." I lied, and I think he knew I did. He looked at his watch and back towards me.

"I have to go open up the shop now." He told me and got up. I jumped off my resting place and stared at him with puppy eyes.

"I want to go! _Pleeeaaase!!_" I sung. He narrowed his eyes in frustration, and finally made his decision.

"…Fine." He sighed. I knew it; no one could resist my perfect puppy face. I beamed and struggled against the temptation to hug him. We walked outside to the car, I had my uniform hanging on my arm, and we got in his car; a Lexus. As he revved the engine, I flung out my cell phone and dialled Gaara's phone number.

We were already on the road when someone picked up the phone. "_Moshi moshi._" they answered.

"Who is this…?" I asked.

"_Kakashi-sensei! This is Sakura-chan, isn't it? Well, I suggest next time you don't call Gaara in class, because cell phones should be turned off during class hours. It's a rule I often have to repeat._" He scolded me.

"Hey, don't blame me, blame Gaara…" I mumbled.

"_By the way, you're on speaker phone._"

"You evil man!"

"_Ah, it's my job._"

"Well everyone, I wanted to inform you that today the special at the Konoha Café is our famous cinnamon bun supreme with a side choice of chocolate milk or hot chocolate!" I said into the phone and shut it closed.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Itachi asked. I smiled.

"My classmates!" I told him happily. He turned into the reserved parking spots and parked into the first empty spot. "No one's here yet." I stated.

"That's because the café opens in an hour." He told me and got out of the car. I frowned at him as I shut the door behind me.

"Why are we here then?" I asked him. He chuckled and pressed a button on a tiny remote he was holding. The roof of the vehicle came out of the trunk and slowly covered up his precious car. He pressed another button, and two loud beeps were heard.

"I have to set everything up, buy ingredients, and other things. Don't you know anything about owning a café?" He sighed and shook his head. I ignored his comment and followed him into the café. When we got inside we started by setting up the tables and filling the cash registers. After that, Itachi gave me a list of things he needed me to buy for him. I nodded my head enthusiastically and left to the grocery store. I skipped down the street happily with my pocket full of money. I was listening to my iPod. As I did so, and I wasn't paying much attention to anything but my music. The screaming around me was muted by the loud noise erupting from my earphones.

I has suddenly hit… **hard**. I flew backwards and landed on my back. The loud screeching of tires was heard, and then silence. With my eyes still closed, I tried to sit up and hit my head on something a few inches over me. I fell back down ad opened my eyes. I dizzily saw that I was lying under a truck, and the truck wasn't moving. I immediately heard loud screaming and yelling, and knew that my iPod was broken.

I looked down to try and see if I was bleeding, because I sure felt a lot of pain, but it was too dark under the huge truck over me.

"Is she alive?"

"Is she okay?"

"I hope she's not hurt!!"

"Say something!" I turned my head, which was surprisingly still intact, and opened my mouth to speak.

"Help…" I said, my voice sounded more like a slur, and cracked because of the pain. I could hear sirens approaching, the loud noise nearly made my ears bleed. "I'm f-fine, move the truck!" I said half-consciously. I didn't think anyone had heard me over all the noise, but I could suddenly feel the truck moving backwards, until they could see my head.

I was pulled out from under the truck by a short and round policeman, and then began feeling many eyes, even camera eyes, on me. Someone lifted me into the air and put me on a stretcher, from what I felt. I looked down to my body and noticed that in fact, I was bleeding, but not a lot. I had scratches a little everywhere, but nothing too bad.

My left elbow felt broken, as well as my right wrist. I had tried to cover myself at the last minute and had damaged them, I knew. Though my whole body was sore, I didn't think my problems were worse than that.

"What the hell?!! Sakura-chan, I leave you for one minute and-" I heard Itachi yell furiously. A paramedic was telling at him to calm down. I looked towards him, and he looked extremely aggravated, but glad I was alive. I would have smiled if that hadn't hurt.

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"Shut up." I repeated again. Itachi wouldn't stop trying to ask what was wrong with me, if I were mentally stable and why I always hurt myself when I was alone. "My family is cursed, okay? Something always happens to me, it's like I'm being targeted by some friggin' serial killer!" I said loudly and angrily. He sighed and shook his head.

"I hate this place." Itachi muttered as he stared at the white hospital walls. We were walking down the hall to leave the hospital. I was told to have some rest, but otherwise I was completely fine. The truck hadn't hit me hard, because it wasn't going as fast as it might have felt. In fact, it wasn't my fault, the truck's wheel had a whole in it and it turned and nearly crashed into the grocery store. Just as I had thought, I had broken my elbow, but not my wrist. I was also given painkillers for my sore… everything.

"I've been here more times than you. Deal with it." I said bitterly. My fever had only just completely gone and now I had to go and hurt myself again. Not to mention my sprained ankle!! Itachi ignored my blabbing and we soon got back to the café, which was still closed. So much for listening to the doctors orders and resting…

Itachi had made Sasuke get the groceries for us, and everything was running as usual. I entered the shop and was ambushed by Ino and Tenten, who seemed so happy to see me. "Sakura-chan!" They chimed and hugged me. I gasped for breath as my pain worsened for just a second. They let go and stared at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked. They exchanged sly glances and both smirked. They both grabbed my arms, one on each side, and led me into the kitchen as fast as they could.

"You've got to tell us!"

"Tell you what?"

"About the… thing! Tell us about the thing!"

"What thing?!" I asked in exasperation, I was completely and utterly confused. Someone suddenly turned me around by force and my eyes met those of Karin, she looked **very** impatient.

"About you moving in with the Uchihas." She said coldly. I gawked at her, trying to understand. Oh, that's right! I have a home now!

"It hasn't my idea. He told **me** to move in with him." I stated to Karin, who began tapping her foot against the tiles.

"I don't understand you, Sakura." She said very rudely, she intentionally took out the '-chan'. "You're a big headed monster, who is as clumsy as ever, cannot be left unsupervised and has pink hair, for god's sake! _What_ in the world would Sasuke-kun want from _you_?!" She seemed aggravated as she put emphasis on nearly ever word.

I didn't say anything; I didn't know why Sasuke- actually Itachi- wanted to make me move in. I guess they were lonely.

"Do you mind? Sakura-chan just came back from the hospital!" Ino said in an annoyed tone. Karin didn't usually talk to Ino or Tenten at all, but now that they were on my side, Karin considered them enemies as well.

"Do you expect me to pity her? Ha!" She laughed exaggeratedly, her fiery red hair falling down her shoulders and back.

"I expect you to give her a break. You're always on Sakura's – no, Sasuke's tail! Get. A. Life." Tenten retorted. I wished Gaara were here to scare her away.

As they continued arguing about pointless things (that includes me, I am a pointless thing to get mad over), I drifted off into my imagination. Before I could imagine much, someone's footsteps approached. "What's going on here?" Sasuke's voice suddenly came in, saving me. He immediately stared in my direction and I couldn't help but look away.

"Nothing." Karin snapped and stalked away, after sending me a death glare of course. Sasuke looked back to her for a second and then walked up to me.

"What happened to you?" He demanded as he eyed me up and down. I flinched for a second as he set his eyes on the cast over my elbow.

"I-I fell… _and landed under a truck_…" I muttered the last part; he didn't really need to know that. He gave me a concerned look for a second, and then shrugged, returning to his normal state. I stared as he sighed and glanced at Ino and Tenten.

"It doesn't look like you fell." He stated, pointing towards my wobbly posture.

"Stop being so nosy… I just fell, okay?" I told him a little too quickly. He kept staring at me with his unreadable expression. "Why…? Are you worried?" I asked. He snorted and looked away, I frowned at him. "You arrogant bastard." I muttered tauntingly.

"You're an awful liar, you know that?" He said. I nodded my head, and oddly, found it in me to smile. I could feel Ino and Tenten staring at us with intense curiosity. Sasuke must have noticed too, because he wouldn't stop glancing back and forth from them to me.

"Soo… What's for super tonight?" I asked, satisfied with my change of subject. He shrugged. Oh, great, way to go Sasuke!

"You guys look so cute together!!" Ino squealed. I could tell by the sound of her voice that she had wanted to say that for quite a while. I blushed and frowned at her. When I looked back to Sasuke, he was slowly walking away.

"Wow… he's even better up close…" Ino mumbled and looked behind me as he walked away.

Hah, my thoughts **exactly**.

Ino suddenly shook her head and smiled at me expectantly. "But, I'll let you have him. I have my eyes set on someone else, after all." She said and winked at me. I blushed once more and turned to Tenten, who was in deep thought.

"Did you see the worry in his eyes? It was so romantic…" She said in a weak voice, obviously daydreaming.

"Tenten, I didn't see anything romantic in that. He doesn't even ask me questions, he demands." I told her unenthusiastically. Tenten looked at me, confused.

"Sakura-chan, don't be dense. He obviously _likes_ you!" Tenten said excitedly. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah… that's why he tortures me every waking second." I muttered and tried to find a new subject to talk about. But Tenten was pretty persistent.

"Ino and I are so going to get you two together." She said and narrowed her eyes in determination. Ino glanced at her and met her gaze, they both beamed.

"Aw geez…" I said. But I was actually hoping they'd succeed, because whoever Itachi was trying to pair up Sasuke with was my mortal enemy.

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I had finally gotten some rest, and the days of school I had missed were starting to pile up. Gaara had too much pride to show up at the Uchiha household, so Hinata had delivered my homework, and had done it all with me. If it weren't for her, I'd probably be dead by now.

I suddenly jumped out of my bed, when I realized that I had never finished the maid's job. I ran to Sasuke's room and swung the door open, he was sitting at his desk, on his laptop. I ran towards him and he turned to see me. "When did you get in here?" He asked loudly. He had earphones on. I yanked them out, and he didn't even react.

"A while ago." I lied. He raised an eyebrow at me and turned back to his computer.

"What do you want?" He asked as he clicked on something.

"Where's the maid?" I asked.

"You mean Mikoto? She quit." He told me. I gawked at him and grabbed his shoulders, turning him towards me.

"B-But why?!" I yelled. He sighed and put his chin in his palm.

"She said that she wanted 'freedom', and to try other jobs like being a… garbage lady." He told me. I frowned at him, why didn't he say so earlier?

"So are we getting another maid…?" I asked curiously, my hands still firm on his shoulders. He shrugged and I spun him back to his computer. I looked at him one last time before leaving.

That night, I anticipated the next day: Friday. I would get to go back to school, after my long week. I was dancing around my room, listening to my radio again. "Do it like you do it to me, burn it up! Do it like you do it to me, it's not enough…" I sung happily. I grabbed my radio and brought it to my window. I opened up my window and kept singing as I stretched out on the roof. My cast squeezed through just barely after the rest of me.

"Don't you know how much I love you?" I sang with my eyes closed. After a few seconds, the song changed. I waited, with my eyes still closed. A cool beat began to play and I waited patiently for the song to start. "You and me together, through the days and nights… I don't worry cause everything's gonna be alright…" I sung. I kept singing silently, and when the chorus came, I sung louder, and louder, until I was singing as if I were by myself.

"You have a beautiful voice, when you sing." I heard someone's voice say. I literally jumped up and nearly rolled off the roof. I quickly caught my footing and turned off my radio. I couldn't see who it was in the darkness, but I knew that voice. I breathed slowly and lay back down, where I was previously. I hadn't realized how close he was next to me.

"Eavesdropper." I muttered to him. He chuckled.

"You were singing so loud that I couldn't sleep. You sing very well, though." He said. I sighed, my mother was even better than I.

"Arigatou. I appreciate the complement." I said quietly and looked up to the few stars in the sky. There were about 7 stars that were visible that night.

"Why'd you stop singing?" He asked me. I sighed and continued singing the song that no longer played on my old radio. Lying beside Sasuke felt so nice, tonight he didn't seem as cold as usual- actually, ever since I moved in he didn't seem as cold as usual. I suddenly felt something warm on my hand.

Before I could react, Sasuke's other hand was right beside my head, pressed firmly on the roof, and he was leaning down towards my face. My heart felt like it would rip through my chest; it was beating so fast that I could hardly breathe. I immediately stopped singing and stared into the darkness that was Sasuke. "S-Sasuke-kun…?" I mumbled. His lips quickly met mine, and he began to kiss me softly. A small shiver went down my spine as I kissed him back.

After a few seconds he pulled away, and stared at me, though I couldn't see his face at all, I knew he was frowning, but more at himself than at me. "Sorry." He said breathlessly. I was hardly breathing as I tried to stop the voices rampaging in my mind.

"D-Don't be." I stuttered. He quickly got up and stared up to the sky; he turned around and walked to his bedroom window. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"My room." He said and walked quickly back to his bedroom window, and slid inside. The window shut closed and a few seconds later, the light was turned off. I took in a huge breath of air, filling my lungs completely, as my mind finally set itself on one single thought:

_Sasuke __**kissed**__ me._


	7. Chapter 7

**Moving In!**

**Chapter 7:**

**Friday**

I sat down at our lunch table with Hinata and Sai; Gaara was absent. Everything was normal today, except that Sasuke wasn't at school. I wondered whether the fact that both Gaara and Sasuke were absent was related. I hadn't seen Sasuke since last night, when… _it _ happened. I sighed as I nibbled on my carrot. I had already shared everything with Hinata, Gaara and Sai last night, by e-mail.

"Why do you think he did that?" Hinata asked quietly, as she examined the soup she had gotten from the cafeteria. I shrugged, I was certainly more confused then she was.

"I knew there was a small possibility of this happening but…" Sai sighed and sucked his chocolate milk through a straw, "Not so soon… Let's hope no one else finds out." He said. I frowned at my slice of pizza, and then looked towards my cast.

"This thing is really annoying." I muttered. I had tomato sauce on my finger and couldn't lick it off because my arm was stuck in a ninety degree angle, so I couldn't reach my face with my hand no matter how hard I tried. Naruto arrived and sat down beside Hinata.

"Hey, have you guys seen Sasuke-teme anywhere?" He asked. We all shook our heads. "Damn it. He said he was going to let me copy his math homework. Ugh… I'm done for!" Naruto sighed and pouted as he poked his cheeseburger over and over again.

"Uh, Naruto-kun? I can help you if you want me to." Hinata suggested. Naruto smiled bitterly.

"I didn't want to trouble you…"

"That's okay. Math is my best subject, after all." Hinata said cheerfully and smiled. Naruto beamed and turned to her.

"Thanks Hinata-chan!" He exclaimed. Hinata and Naruto got up and swung their bags over their shoulders. "See you guys later." Naruto said and led Hinata to the library. I sighed, now I was left with Sai.

He moved his chair closer to mine so we could keep our voices down.

"So what should I do?" I whispered. Sai was staring at the cafeteria door, as though waiting for something.

"Whatever you want to do," He said, not helping at all. I glared at him and he just shrugged.

"Well, I suggest you try to confront Sasuke. He may, or may not, open up to you. If he doesn't, then try again a few days later. Sasuke is a hard subject, because it's difficult to figure out what he's thinking. A slow approach may be easier, or it may not. It all depends on what you choose. Anyways, Sasuke is leaving the café for another job. He feels that he got too close to you, and he's just scared of that. He's scared of commitment."

I stared at Sai with wide eyes for a few seconds, than I smacked his head downwards. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier!?" I asked annoyed. He shrugged again as he rubbed his head.

"I didn't seem important. I already told you he'd switch jobs. I thought you'd remember." He explained. I rolled my eyes and quickly stood up.

"I'm going to go look for him." I told Sai. He grabbed my arm and pulled me down, back onto my chair.

"I was told, by Gaara, not to leave you alone. You'll end up killing yourself." Sai said with a smirk. I frowned at him, but he was right. I nearly got killed the last time I was alone. He let go of my arm and followed me outside to Sasuke's locker. I put my hand on his lock. It was cold.

"It doesn't feel like he's been here for a while." I noted. Sai nodded his head in approval. "What job could he want?" I asked him. Sai paused for a minute and seemed to be thinking very hard.

"I'm thinking… telemarketer." Sai finally answered.

"Huh? Why?"

"Sakura, must I repeat everything? I told you that he'd want a job that minimized contact with other people." Sai said frustrated. I was starting to feel quite stupid, but Sasuke really had no people skills!

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"You always have to go and hurt yourself, don't you Haruno-san?" The nurse muttered under her breath as she held my jaw and moved my head around so that she could check my face. "Your cheek healed; it's not swollen anymore. But you'll have to ask someone else about those… other things." She laughed as she glanced at my cast.

I gave a weak smile and giggled. "Sorry, I'm just really clumsy. I hope it doesn't trouble you." I mumbled.

"Oh no, it's nice to have some company once in a while." She told me and walked with me, happily to the door.

"See you soon!" She called as I opened the door and left. I liked the nurse but, seriously, I was hoping I wouldn't see her again for a while. I've broken myself enough!

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After school was over, I walked home with Hinata. My shift at the café started in an hour and a half, so I still had time to do homework and relax a bit. When I got home, Itachi was there, looking at important papers. "Why aren't you at the café?" I asked him and sat down at his left.

"I left Neji in charge. I have to sort these out, but it shouldn't take too long. I'm almost done." He explained. I nodded my head and walked towards the stairs, but when I put my foot on the first step, I turned around.

"What happened to Sasuke?" I asked him. He looked up from his papers, slowly.

"He says that he had found a new job… He told me last night, before he disappeared off the face of the earth." Itachi chuckled. I frowned at him.

"Aren't you worried about him?" I asked.

"Sasuke is perfectly fine by himself." Itachi reassured me. "I don't know why, but suddenly he wants to be even farther away from people. Did something happen?" He suddenly narrowed his eyes, trying to make me spill the beans.

"Well… err…" I mumbled.

"I know everything about Sasuke, okay? Whatever you say couldn't possibly be surprising." Itachi said and smiled.

"How much to you know about him…?"

"Sometimes when I'm bored I hack onto his computer to see what he's doing. I even stole his journal from him when he was eight years old and read every single page. When he found out, he stopped writing in it. I had to decipher most of it to understand, though." He chuckled.

"What? Special coding?" I asked, surprised that Sasuke had once owned a journal.

"Not exactly. He purposely wrote with extremely horrible grammar so no one could understand it." I laughed loudly at this, and Itachi shook his head. "The reason why my parents sent Sasuke here was because he was always so closed up. They knew that he was more open with me than anyone else. Also, I was known for getting my way with people."

"Fine then, so you know Sasuke well… but it's something pretty big, that I'm about to tell you." I said nervously. He waited as I took in a deep breath before slowly telling him, "Sasuke and I… kissed…" He stared at me with wide eyes as his papers fell from his hands. This is exactly what I hoped wouldn't hap-

"I knew it!" He said loudly and jumped off the couch.

"W-What?!" I stuttered.

"I knew it was it, but I thought I was just over thinking things!" He exclaimed as he paced back and forth. "He kissed you first, right? Not the other way around?" He asked quickly. I nodded my head.

"Why…?" I asked.

"Well, it's really important because, if he went for it first, than it makes things completely different." He told me, as he kept walking. "Sasuke opened up to you, but he didn't want to. He finds it hard to trust people because of past experiences. After he pulled away he said…?"

"… Sorry…"

"Hum… Because he didn't act as he usually would. So now, he's trying to get back his cold exterior, and push people away." Itachi concluded.

"… Why does it matter?" I asked, confused.

"You were worried first." Itachi noted. Oh yeah… He suddenly stopped pacing and fell back onto the couch. "Well, now that all that is cleared up, time to get back to work." He told himself.

"What? Just like that?! I want to go look for Sasuke!" I told him.

"Then go ahead; but I have bills to pay here." He told me and picked up the papers off the floor. I frowned at him before running up the stairs, to my room. I shut the door behind me, and locked it. I threw all my things on my bed and took off my uniform. I put on some black sweat pants and a green T-shirt, and ran to Sasuke's room. Just as I had thought: it was empty.

I searched around his room, looking for things that might lead to his location. I searched for what seemed like hours, though it was only a few minutes, and everything in his room was now a mess. "Damn it! Where did you go, Sasuke?!" I almost yelled. I suddenly heard a phone ringing. I knew that song; it was Sasuke's ring tone!

I jumped to the phone and pressed a button, answering. "Hello!?" I nearly screamed.

"_Err… Who is this?_" I heard an unfamiliar voice ask. It sounded very strange.

"… Who're you?"

"_Sasuke's new boss… Where is he?_"

"He hasn't been home since last night; I think he's dead or something."

"_No, his shift ended about ten minutes ago. I should call his office number to see if he's still there..._"

"Oh! Can I have his office number then?"

"_Sure._" The boss said and gave me Sasuke's office phone number. I snickered and hung up his phone. I then dialled the number, and waited.

"_Hello? This is Uchiha Sasuke speaking._" I heard him say. A thought suddenly passed through my mind, and I struggle to hold back a laugh.

(Insert Italian accent here.)

"Is-a this the-a pizza place?" I asked.

"_Err… no. We sell wheelchairs and other things for the elderly and disabled. How old are you m'am?_" He asked. Wow, how professional!

"I'm a man! How dare-a you-a say that?"

"_Sorry sir. Could you tell me how old you are?_"

"I am-a seventeen." I said, and pressed the hold button so I could laugh out loud.

"_Well… are you disabled sir?_"

"Do I sound disabled to you, Sasuke?! OH! I mean- err…" I mumbled.

"_Sakura??_" He asked loudly.

"Why aren't you home Sasuke? Itachi and I are so worried! We called the police to go looking for you!" I lied.

"_Believe me, if you had, I would know. And stop trying to fool me, I already told you that you were a horrible liar._" He teased me. I frowned at him through the phone. All this frowning is going to make me get so many wrinkles when I get older, I swear.

"Well… are you coming home?"

"_Of course, why?_"

"I miss you." I blurted out. He paused for a second before answering.

"_I'll be right there._" He said and hung up the phone. I just stared at the wall as I hung up after him. I slowly got up, staring into space, and went downstairs. I looked into the living room, but Itachi wasn't there. As I walked to the office, I saw him on his computer.

"Itachi-niisan!!" I said loudly.

**THUD**

The rolling chair he was sitting on fell over, and so did he, right after he had turned to me in surprise.

"What the hell?! Don't yell at me out of nowhere like that!!" Itachi yelled. I blinked as he stood up and picked up his chair. "What do you want?" He asked as he pushed his chair to his desk. I immediately beamed and jumped onto him, and hugged him.

"Sasuke-kun is coming back! He's coming back right now!!" I screamed with joy.

"Okay, that's great… Why are you telling me this?" He asked suddenly. I frowned at him.

"Sasuke-kun is your little brother, don't you care?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Of course, but Sasuke can fend for himself, so why would I worry?" He asked. I shook my head in frustration and sighed. "Anyway, why are you calling me niisan?"

"Because… We're a big family now, right?" I asked. He smiled and nodded his head. I suddenly heard the gates opening and let go of Itachi to run to the window. I could see Sasuke, and another person beside him. "It's him!" I said excitedly. I put on flip-flops and ran outside. "You came back!" I said happily and ran to him with open arms. I felt something against my lungs and saw Sasuke holding me back.

"Yeah. I'm back." He said simply. I let my arms fall and he pulled back his hand.

**REJECTION**

Darn, that hurt.

"Sakura." I heard someone say. I turned and my eyes went wide. I completely forget about Sasuke for a moment.

"Teddy-niisan?" I squeaked, "What are you doing here?" Gaara was staring at me oddly.

"Sasuke-kun and I were just talking. That's all." He said. I frowned at the two while following them inside. They both sat down robotically, facing each other, on recliners. I sat down beside Gaara. He only glanced towards me, nothing else. He didn't speak to me. The room wasn't tense… just odd.

"Why are you guys acting so weird?" I asked nervously.

"I told you I didn't trust him." Gaara said quietly in my ear. I frowned at him, but he ignored me. Sasuke watched us quietly from his chair.

"What have you two been doing?" I asked curiously.

"Ah, it's nothing." Sasuke said, "Saturday night, then." He told Gaara and stood up. Gaara followed immediately. I watched as they both nodded their heads and Gaara headed for the door.

"Hey! Wait!" I said and followed Gaara. "Tell me!" I demanded. He only smiled and patted my head, before walking out the door. "What the-!" I blurted out and stomped my foot. "Did you guys fight, or something??"

"Ha-ha, you are so very far from the real thing." He laughed and gave me the same smile Gaara had. I growled in frustration. "You should be more worried about that dance, tomorrow." Sasuke reminded me.

"Oh CRUD!" I said loudly. I hadn't bought anything to wear for it, and it was the most anticipated dance of the year. Normally I wouldn't care, but if all my friends were going, I just had to go as well. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"I called Hinata. She said she'd meet you at the mall after you finished your shift at the café." He chuckled and walked away. I gawked at him as he left the room, and then frowned.

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When I arrived at the café, I got into my uniform in a flash and started to make the pizza dough. Neji was beside me, cutting up fruits and vegetables. "Hey Neji, can you pass me a knife?" I asked as I rolled the dough, than looked up to him. I suddenly heard a thud and Neji froze. I looked down to my hands, where he was staring, and saw a knife stuck into the board I was using for the dough, in between my fingers.

"Sakura." Karin hissed. I whipped my head around and saw her standing at the door way, and she had murderous intent in her eyes.

"K-K-Karin-chan…?" I said weakly and stared at Karin with wide and frightful eyes. She looked almost as scary as Gaara always did! Neji glanced at both of us back and forth.

"It's too bad I missed. I was hoping I'd break those hands of yours so you could never work here again." She growled, "I got this job to get close to Sasuke, and now, because of you, he left!!!" She roared and sprinted in my direction. I moved away just in time and she nearly crashed into the oven. I scrambled towards the cash registers, where curious customers were watching the argument.

"S-Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed when I hid behind him for cover. Karin looked around and spotted my pink hair. Damn it! Why must I have such bright and noticeable hair?! I tried to run towards the tables, but she grabbed the back of my shirt and I fell down. She slipped as well, and landed on her butt.

"I'm not letting you go this time!!" She screeched hysterically. I quickly got up and ran to the door. As I sprinted out of the café, and onto the sidewalk, I glanced backwards: Karin was following me at a matching speed. I turned into an alley, and when I realized that it was a dead end, I ran back. Karin was charging towards me, so I ducked to avoid her arms and ran back to the café.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" I screamed and tried to speed up, but I was at my fastest, and I was getting slower as I lost more and more energy. I hit an old lady as I ran, but couldn't stop to say sorry. I burst back into the café, and was suddenly grabbed and pulled to the side. Neji ran to the kitchen, and urged me to follow him. Karin blew through the door and stopped in the middle of the café.

I would have disappeared from her sight, but, being Sakura, I tripped over a crack in the floor and fell flat on my face. Karin let out a small laugh as she approached me.

_W__ell, I guess it all ends here!_

She grabbed my collar and pulled me up to my feet with it, then pushed me against a wall. "I warned you, and so many times, I threatened you. Haruno Sakura, you will never learn! I was not joking with you, so let's hope you only get some broken bones." She said and landed a strong punch in my gut.

_Surely, you're over-reacting. I mean, COME ON!! Sasuke is __**so**__ not worth killing over!_

I held my stomach as I fell onto my knees and let a few tears fall down my pale cheeks. "You're pathetic." I muttered angrily to her. She kicked the side of my head, making me fall over onto my side as I clutched my aching skull.

"Karin!" I heard Ino and Tenten yell. I opened my eyes, and through my tears, I could see two blurry figures holding Karin back. I groaned from the pain I still felt, and closed my eyes again. From what I could hear, Karin had broken free. From what I felt, she had just kicked my gut again.

Now, nearly everyone was holding Karin back, but she still hadn't calmed down. I coughed a bit, and saw a tiny drop of blood on my hand. "Damn it." I muttered.

"Sakura-chan…" I heard Naruto's soft voice say, "Come on." He tried to get me to stand up, but I resisted him and stood up by myself. His hands were shaky, and he looked really worried. I turned to Karin who, once again was winning against the arms holding her back. As soon as she was free I clenched my fist.

"Go to hell!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, and punched her square in the face. I knew I had broken her jaw, as well as her nose, because I heard a disgusting crunching sound when I hit her.

"Sakura-chan!!" I heard many people yell at me, before I passed out again.

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"Baka!!" Someone's voice yelled in my ear. I woke up lying in my bed, as though nothing happened. The figure was quite blurry as my eyes were trying to adjust to the light.

"A-Are you god?" I asked weakly.

"No, I'm not god. Pretty close, but not quite." Sasuke teased me. I frowned once I had recognized his voice. "You just _had_ to go and get beat up again, did you?" He sighed.

"She hit me first."

"That's not an excuse… You're a trouble magnet."

"I've heard _that _one before…"

"I heard you hit her too."

"I did."

"Was it hard?"

"I'm sure I broke something."

He smiled at me approvingly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 8:**

Besides all the bruises I carried painfully all over my body, my injuries were minimal. A few blue and black spots weren't so bad! As soon as I got the chance to escape the house, I went to the mall to meet Hinata. She hadn't been told about the whole incident with Karin, but she'd know soon enough. "Sakura!" She cheered and ran towards me, hugging me tightly. I gasped and tried to suppress the pain, but she did so for me when she let go. "Are you okay?" She asked.

I nodded my head slowly, because that hurt too. She smiled, seemingly convinced. She led me into a store, and we started our shopping from there…

When I got back home, the lights were still on. "I'll have to sneak…" I muttered. I looked at my surroundings, and then smirked. There was a tree right beside the house. I walked towards the tree and jumped up, catching a branch with both hands. I managed to pull myself onto the branch by pushing my feet against the tree trunk, and walking up against it.

I was still far from the roof, where I was heading. I climbed onto a higher branch and looked towards the roof. I counted to three, and jumped from the steady branch to my destination. There was a loud 'thud' sound, when I landed. But I hadn't thought that anyone had heard. "Yes!" I said in triumph. I walked to my window, which I had left open. I took off my shoes and threw them inside, as well as the bag that held my new outfit. I then slid, feet first, inside my room.

My feet landed on my bed, as it was placed right under my window. I sighed and let the rest of my body fall onto my bed, and I closed my eyes. "Sakura-chan." I heard and jumped off my bed. Sasuke was standing in front of my closed door, arms crossed. I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my head.

"Um… H-Hi Sasuke-kun. What brings you here?" I asked nervously.

"I thought I told you to stay here." He said darkly.

"Well… err… I needed to get some clothes you know!" I said, half smiling still. He rolled his eyes at me in annoyance.

"You are really annoying. Do you know that?" He grumbled and put his hands in his pockets.

"That didn't stop you from kissing me." I pouted. He suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked away. "You can't expect me to act like it didn't happen." I mumbled.

"Well I'd prefer it if you did." He told me.

"Sasuke, you need to stop being in such denial. You're going to end up a lonely old man who lives in his married brother's basement!" I concluded. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Okay, fine! I'm not quite as accurate as Sai, but it's still possible!"

"Would you just shut up for a second?" He said. I closed my mouth and waited. He was in his thinking position, and I wondered what he was thinking about at that moment. "Yes, I've decided to pretend it never happened."

"You can't pretend our kiss never-"

"What kiss?"

"Ugh, Sasuke-kun!!"

"No, really… What on earth are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you kissing me."

"Well, you'll have to explain, because I'm completely lost here."

"Would you stop that?!"

"Hey, that's my line…"

"Gahh!!!" I roared and pulled my hair in frustration. I paced back and forth beside my bed, trying to calm down. "You are such an idiot." I growled and glared at him. He had his fake 'confused' look on.

"Sakura-chan, you're scaring me." He muttered and took a seat at my desk, but still faced me. I stopped pacing and walked towards him. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him off my chair.

"Come on. You can do it." I said. He furrowed his brows.

"Do what?" He asked suspiciously.

"Do it. Kiss me right now. I know you can." I said very seriously.

"No."

"I'm waiting."

"I'm not going to kiss you."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Fine, you want me to kiss you then?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"I want to set things straight."

"I don't like straight."

"So… you're gay?"

"No, you idiot."

"Not that I mind. I mean, I've always wanted a gay friend, someone I could go shopping with and not feel weird around..."

"Shut up."

"Make me." I taunted him. He glared at me furiously.

"No."

"Fine, I'll just keep talking 'till you kiss me."

"Then you'll be talking for a while."

"God dammit! Just do it, already!"

"You really don't know how annoying you are…"

"I'll be less annoying once you kiss me, you know." He growled, and I could almost hear the roaring voices in his head. He walked out of my room, but I followed. He stalked to his room and shut the door in my face. I frowned at the door in front of me, and heard a 'click', meaning it was locked. I ran back to my room and climbed out the window.

I walked on the roof to his window, which he had been stupid enough to leave open. I jumped inside, head and hands first, and landed on his giant bed. "Sakura-chan!" He yelled in surprise. He was standing with his back against his door.

"Yep, that's the name!" I cheered and hopped off his bed. "You can't run away from me, you know." I said happily. He smirked.

"Itachi has the lock to your door, but not mine." He said devilishly.

"Ew!! He could be watching me when I sleep!!" I nearly yelled. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I was hinting at, baka-chan." He said and walked towards me. My eyes boggled in their sockets. "I think the roles in this game of cat and mouse have just been switched."

"Uh-Oh…" I muttered. Sasuke suddenly knocked me onto the ground and stuck duck tape on my mouth and stuck my wrists together. I started to panic and kicked my legs and feet around.

"Calm down! That was just to shut you up." He said. He then picked me up and brought me to the living room. He threw me on the couch and then left, saying, "Goodnight!"

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**Friday**

I hadn't slept much the last night. I had been trying to stay awake, to see if he would come back and say it was just a joke. He _actually_ left me there, through the **whole** night! That's just pure evil!!!

The thing was, when I had woken up, the duck tape was off, and smell of coffee filled the air. I sat up and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I knew it was Itachi in the kitchen, because Sasuke always overslept on weekends. "How much sugar do you want in your coffee?" Itachi asked loudly.

"One spoon and a half!" I replied and yawned as I stretched. How did he know I had just woken up anyway?

"What did you do to Sasuke to make him so pissed off?" He asked as he walked into the living room with two coffee mugs in hand. He put them on the coffee table and passed me the remote. I waited for the TV to turn on as I answered.

"I tried to talk to him about why he kissed me." I told him. With Itachi, there was never anything to hide. He was like my… second psychiatrist. Sai, of course, was the first one. "Then I tried to trick him into kissing me again, but of course, I failed." Itachi sighed, as though disappointed in me… or maybe Sasuke.

"I see."

"So, how's that thing going on with pairing up Sasuke and that girl?" I asked regretfully.

"Oh, he definitely likes her." He snickered so quietly I thought I'd misheard his words.

We talked and watched TV until Sasuke came into the living room, still in his pyjamas; which consisted of a T-shirt and loose sweat pants. "Ohayo Gozaimasu Sasuke-kun!" I said rather cheerfully.

"Mm…" He mumbled groggily. He walked to my side and fell on the couch right beside me.

"**Idiot.**" We all mumbled at the same time. Sasuke frowned, Itachi smirked and I burst out laughing.

Itachi yawned, took three big gulps of his fresh coffee and put the mug back down. "Sasuke, why can't just kiss the girl, dammit?!" He suddenly asked loudly. Sasuke face turned red and he looked away. I immediately stopped laughing and tried to hide my smile.

"I don't want to talk about this." He muttered and glared knives into the TV.

"Ah, so you'd rather kiss her than talk about kissing her?" Itachi teased him. Sasuke directed his glare to Itachi now, who was very satisfied with his little brother's reaction. "Fine, I'll drop it…." Itachi said. Sasuke seemed relieved, "But only because I have something even _better_ to announce."

"What?" I asked hopefully. Sasuke only slid lower in his seat.

"Last night, I saw Sasuke-" Itachi was interrupted by the intercom from the gates.

"_It's Gaara. Open up._" The voice ordered. I ran to the door as fast as I could, but somehow, Sasuke arrived before me. "He's here to see me, not you." He told me.

"Can't I at least say hi?" I asked hopefully.

"Not now, but don't worry. You won't regret it." He said and winked at me before heading out the door. I frowned at his retreating figure from the window and stomped my way back to the couch, where I sat down.

"Don't act so grumpy. The surprise will be great." Itachi told me with a smile.

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I waited right outside the gates, sitting on the sidewalk, for Hinata to come pick me up. I hadn't bought a dress, but a long tank top and matching skirt instead. Dresses were too formal for me. I look down the road, Hinata should be here any second now… My eyes widened in surprise when I saw a flashy hot pink hummer roll slowly in my direction.

But, that wasn't the surprising part.

Inside the hot pink hummer were Hinata, Gaara, Sai and… Sasuke?! I jumped up onto my feet as the hummer parked itself right in front of me. "Awesome ride!!" I could help but squeal. I jumped inside right beside Sasuke, who was in the driver's seat. "Did you buy this, Sasuke? I thought you hated pink!" I exclaimed and looked at the car's sleek interior.

"Don't be silly, this isn't mine." He told me, still smirking. I turned to Gaara, Sai and Hinata, who were in the back seats.

"Who's is it then?" I asked curiously.

"None of ours." Sai said happily. I frowned at them all, and then widened my eyes at Sasuke.

"Oh my god!! You guys high jacked this car?!?!" I screeched as I nearly ripped out all of my hair.

"Wrong again, Sakura. We got it for you." Gaara said. I slowly let go off my hair and turned my gaze to Sasuke. I paused for one long and tense minute.

"Moved it Sasuke, I'm driving." I announced. His smirk only widened as he hope out of the car. I climbed inside the car to the driver's seat and sat down. Sasuke came back into the car at sat at the same spot where I was previously. Everyone waited for me to start driving the gigantic machine, but I was shaking with anticipation.

"Come on, hit it!" Sai encouraged me. A wide smile spread across my face as I hit the pedal as hard as I could. My new car flew into an amazingly fast speed in a matter of seconds. We stopped and picked up Temari on the way there. We screamed and yelled excitedly as we drove, but the excitement didn't end once we arrived at the school for the scheduled dance. We ran inside and had arrived to the ticket booth on record time.

"We'll have 6 tickets please!" I announced to Jiraiya-sensei, who organized the dances. He took my money and gave me the tickets. Gai-sensei was standing beside him, beaming.

"May the full power of youth dance with you!" He called as we went passed him and into the cafeteria. Gaara and Sai went towards the speakers, they never actually _danced_. Hinata went to look for Naruto and Temari was heading to Kankurou, her younger brother, to try and save him from Kakashi-sensei; who was trying to show him one of his damned books.

Sasuke suddenly grabbed my hand and dragged me back outside. I heard Jiraiya whistle at us, but Sasuke ignored him. "Sasuke-kun, where are we going?" I asked as we found ourselves outside again, it was a little chilly. He didn't answer me and looked around, checking if anyone was near. "What are you…?" I asked quietly. He finally turned his gaze to me and frowned.

"You're really annoying." He repeated. I sent him a serious glare.

"You're so-" My lips were cut off by his own. His hands were firmly placed at my cheeks so I could move, and I shivered at the feel of his warm touch. I widened my eyes at his sudden action, and after a few seconds he pulled away again.

"Happy now?" He mumbled in irritation.

"Y-Y-yeah…" I stuttered dreamily. "Y-You just k-kissed me… a-again…" I said in surprise.

"I told you that I found you annoying. I had to give in before you drove me mad." He muttered as he stared at the wall, beside my head.

"R-Really?" I asked.

"That's only half of it." He told me. I frowned at him. "I've been tempted to do that for a while." He said and, while still staring at the wall, smirked. I let a small smile spread across my lips. He grabbed my shaky hand, and soon I stopped trembling. "You feel really cold." He noted and looked down to my fragile fingers.

"No, just nervous." I told him truthfully. He finally looked into my eyes and smirked.

"Come on." He said and led me back inside the school. We both held our tickets up as we neared Jiraiya. He was smiling slyly at us as we approached.

"Finally getting some action, eh?" He said to no one in particular. Sasuke shot him a death glare as we entered the bright and loud room again. Sasuke and I stopped when we got inside, and glanced at each other, still interlocking our hands.

"Care to dance?" He asked me in his soft velvet voice. I beamed and nodded my head enthusiastically, and, in a matter of seconds, we were on the dance floor.

_**Together.**_

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My dance with Sasuke was still replaying in my head. I would never forget that second kiss we shared, and of course our first, which was my first **official** kiss. Sasuke was absent again, just like the last time he had gotten dangerously (in his opinion) close to me. I didn't care this time though, because he had admitted that he had _wanted_ to kiss me.

I was swinging my feet as I sat in art class with Sai. Teaching us was Deidara-sensei, the most inspired art teacher I've ever met. He liked water… and sodium.

Together.

Yes, boom. Big booms, he says that's what art is. It amazes you and stuns like an explosion, and the aftershock is just as good. I liked Deidara-sensei very much, he wasn't like those uninspired art teachers who just make you cut out letters from magazines and stick them on coloured cardboard.

But this isn't about his bomb-filled life, it's about mine! So anyway, I was sitting in art class; completely ignoring Deidara-sensei's loud scolding at Naruto, who had spilled black paint on the floor. Sai was making a beautiful painting beside me; it was abstract, but still beautiful. My painting, on the other hand, looked like spattered blobs with lots of white dots scattered here and there.

_Man, do I love art class_

"What is that?" Sai asked curiously as he looked at my disastrous creation.

"Uh…" I tried to think of something smart, "It's a replica of my first attempt at cooking." I muttered. He raised an eyebrow and turned back to his board, snickering quietly. I ignored him and tried to cover all the white dots I had left.

"Mine is a man on a galloping horse, throwing his hat into the air." Sai said, smiling at his painting. I frowned; it looked more like a cake and rabid squirrel to me. I shook my head and smashed my paint brush onto the painting, and then slid it all the way down. It made a weird brown line that made my painting looked even uglier, if possible.

_Ugh, I __**hate**__ art class..._

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During the lunch hour, I daydreamed while eating my sandwich. Sai was telling me something completely random that I wasn't paying attention to and Hinata was talking to Naruto. Gaara was eating his cheeseburger happily; it was great to see him in a good mood again. He was finally happy for me, instead of being over-concerned. Gaara had always been like my big brother, so seeing him happy made me happy, and vice versa.

"Sakura, you're chewing on a spoon." Sai noted. I immediately stopped my daydreaming and noticed that Sai was right.

"Oh…" I mumbled and put my spoon down. "What were you talking about, anyway?" I asked Sai, finally ready to listen. He sent me a short glare, but noticed that I was paying attention and began talking.

"I heard that Sasuke got his job back at the café." He informed me. We never really ate there much anymore; it was always packed with people during that time. I listened intently as he continued. "And…" He said, making me come closer and closer with each second wasted, "**Karin got **_**fired**_" I gawked at him in surprise.

"R-Really?" Hinata suddenly asked, turning to us curiously. Naruto smiled, ready to add in his information as well.

"Yep. Itachi fired her right when you passed out Sakura. He came in right after the huge fight and started yelling at all of us!" Naruto announced and moved his hands around, demonstrating the scene. I let a wide smile spread across my face.

"Oh yeah, Karin has a broken nose now, and she says that she won't be appearing at school until the 'deformation' heals and she can remove the cast plastered on her face!" Sai laughed. I was happy for the news, but frowned at him.

"How do you know that?" I asked him.

"Oh, I read it on her blog." He explained. I raised an eyebrow.

"Is that how you know about everyone's life and thoughts??" I asked.

"No way, it would take years to read all the blogs in the school! Besides, not everyone has one." Sai said, as-a-matter-of-factly, "I was surprised that she posted it on her blog. Usually it's in her live journal. And yes, I just _happen_ to know that Karin writes in a live journal daily under a fake name." He said and beamed. We all sweat dropped.

"_Riiiight_…"


	9. Chapter 9

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 9:**

I sat that night in my room, simply thinking. With all the commotion and everything I had gotten into, I hadn't had much time to look things over. I sighed and turned on my radio. It didn't matter if the music was loud enough for my ears to bleed, because my hard thinking seemed to block it all out. I sighed and put the back of my head on my hands as I stretched out on my bed.

I thought about mother, and father, and myself. We used to be the most wonderful family, and hadn't had many problems. We had all loved each other so deeply, and respected each other so much. My mother had gotten the news of her cancer 5 or 6 years back. My memories from that time period were usually quite clear, but they were blurry this time. Not because I was starting to forget, but because I had started to cry.

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I was half asleep the next day in my math class with Hinata. I could feel her nudge me over and over, but my head wouldn't dare leave the hard, cold, yet comfortable, desk surface. "Sakura…" She whispered urgently. I would have thought I was in a dream if I didn't know any better. Something slammed very hard on my desk, and I jumped up in surprise.

"Haruno Sakura, do you have an explanation as to _why_ you are sleeping in my class?!" Kurenai asked me. Of course, I had a reason; I had stayed up most of the night crying. But that wasn't anyone's business but mine. I cleared my throat before answering.

"You're the teacher, Kurenai-sensei; shouldn't you know all the answers?" I asked her ignorantly without realising what I was actually saying. She gawked, and her eyes widened for a few seconds. Her expression then twisted into a frown.

"It looks like you'll need a trip to the office, young lady." She said firmly. I grimaced. I didn't appreciate being called a 'young lady'. I had a name, after all. Hinata shook her head as I got up and gathered all my things at a sloth's pace. The whole classroom watched me as I dropped them lazily in my back pack and pulled it over my right shoulder.

"Whatever you say… _grandma_." I grumbled and dragged my feet out of the room. I was trying to go faster but, hey, I was really lacking some energy! I could feel the tension in the room as I slammed the door (well I tried, but the door didn't even completely close…) behind me and left.

When I arrived in the principal's office, it was very empty and quiet. Well, that was a lie. The truth was, it was probably packed, but I was too tired to notice. I was soon called into the main office, where Tsunade-sama had her desk. She began talking to me, but I quickly dozed off in the middle of her speech, missing its point, and was reawakened by a slap in the face.

"Itai!" I squeaked and held my rosy cheek. Tsunade frowned at me.

"Haruno-san, don't fall asleep when I'm talking to you!" She scolded me. I frowned back at her.

"Tsunade-sama, you slapped me!" I accused stridently. She rolled her eyes.

"What are you going to do? Sue me? You don't have any money to do that, remember?" She told me, frowning. I felt as though my heart had gotten stung really hard. Tsunade noticed this and tried to smile. "Look, just listen to me alright?" She said kindly.

I stared at her wide eyed; did she just say what I thought she said…?

"If you keep on going like this you might end up getting a suspension. With the fights, all the missed days of school and now smart mouthing teachers! You used to be our top student, Haruno-san." She said in a serious tone.

"It's hard you know." I muttered, still staring her straight in the eyes.

"Then don't make it any harder than it already is." She said delicately, resting her chin on the back of her hand. I looked to my left, at old pictures hung on the wall. I nearly smiled when I saw one of her screaming, and pointing to a spider; as a child or course. I never thought I'd see something like that.

"I'll try to behave better from now own." I sighed and got up. She nodded her head, so I turned and left the office.

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I cried into Gaara's chest uncontrollably, I didn't even know why. Hinata and Sai were sitting beside us, looking at the grass gloomily. We were outside, supposedly having a picnic. Hinata had just started talking when I burst out crying. "Sakura…" Hinata mumbled sadly and gathered enough courage to look me in the eyes. I slowly wiped away my tears with my sleeve and let go of Gaara. He was frowning at me.

"Did someone hurt you?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No." I answered.

"Because if someone did…" He continued. I shook my head.

"I wouldn't lie to you guys." I said, "I'm just having break downs sometimes. I'll be fine tomorrow." I said. I hugged Gaara and bid them goodbye before leaving. I climbed into my hummer and revved the engine.

"Damn it! I have to buy gas **again**?!" I nearly yelled. I liked the looks of my pink hummer, but it killed gas like there was no tomorrow! And I always felt like I might roll over something, or someone, when I rode in it. It was like my long gone smart car's arch rival.

I pulled out my wallet, which was packed with money. I had stuffed it up because my hummer took in so much gas, and Sasuke wouldn't dare lend me his credit card. I drove to the nearest gas station and parked there. I fell out of my huge 'car' and as I started filling it, I heard someone whistle. I swung my head in that direction.

"Hey there, miss." A man with black clothes and small, round black glasses said. I frowned at him; he as well was filling up his car. It looked like a 1986 Cadillac. I raised my eyebrow at his scratched and dusty car, and then glanced at my own. Suddenly, I was proud of the big, fat machine. "What's your name?" He asked and leaned against his car, smirking.

"What makes you think I'd tell you?" I muttered, loud enough for the unattractive man staring at me to hear. I heard him shift positions.

"Ooh, a feisty one, aren't ya? My name's Ebisu." He said, still smirking. I frowned when I recognized his name. He was a kindergarten teacher; I knew because I used to be neighbours with a little boy named Konohamaru, who was one of his students. Apparently, he read Jiraiya's books as well. I felt a shiver go down my spine. I tried to ignore him and walked into the store.

_I have to stay away from trouble… stay away from trouble… trouble… trouble…_

I paid the man for my gas and walked back to my monster car, though I felt as I though I was being watched. I opened the door and hopped inside. As I revved the engine, I could see 'Ebisu' getting inside his car as well. As far as I was concerned, he hadn't paid for the gas. I frowned and opened the car door. He watched me as I walked over to the side of his… ride.

"Excuse me, but you still haven't paid for your gas." I scolded him. He shrugged.

"I do it all the time." He muttered and raised an eyebrow at me. I struggled to keep my temper in check, as he stared at me expectantly.

"Well, not this time." I told him and easily opened his car door. Wow. This guy was _smart_, he didn't even lock it!

"What's wrong, **scared**?" He asked, smirking devilishly. I was just about ready to smack him across the face, or hit him with my cast. My temptation was just too strong, and my jaw was ready to start working its magic.

"No, but you'll be." I spoke clearly. He looked a little irritated and got out of his car. Before he could speak, the store owner came out, walking towards us. He was glaring at Ebisu, who looked angrier then I had just been. "**Scared**?" I asked in return. He turned his furious glare to me, before I turned on my heel and jumped back into my car.

"Leave me alone, you stalker!!" I screamed out my car window. That damned man was following me relentlessly, there was no way I could get home! I had been driving around the same block for about thirty minutes, and he followed patiently. I turned back to the road in front of me, and could see a red light ahead. I slowed down enough to stop, but felt a huge bump.

_Oh my god! Did I roll over someone?!_

I jumped out and looked under my car. Nothing. I then looked behind my car; Ebisu was laughing his head off as he sat comfortably in his car. "GAHH!!!" I yelled and grabbed my pink locks furiously. He had purposely rammed into my hummer! I stomped to his car angrily and stopped right beside it, in the middle of the road. "Take-this-you-piece-of-crap!!" I yelled and kicked his car with each word.

"Nooo!! My car!" He screeched and got out. I stuck my tongue out at him and got back in my car. I raced off before anyone could realize.

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I parked my car and flew out, then ran into the house. "Sakura-chan!" Itachi said loudly, once he saw me. I turned to him, he was watching a horror movie, and someone's arm had just flown off. I grimaced at the bloody mess that followed.

"What?" I managed to ask clearly once I looked away from the screen, throwing off my shoes. He suddenly smirked.

"Sasuke's been waiting for you." He announced to me. I still had a grimace on.

"So?" I asked. He paused his movie.

"… Aren't you happy?" He asked, frowning.

"Well yeah, I guess." I shrugged. He stopped frowning and sent me that dazzling smile of his.

"Bad day?"

"Yeah."

"I see."

As soon as I got into my room I threw off my bag and jacket. I was about to change when someone's voice interrupted me. "AH!" Sasuke suddenly yelled. I quickly turned to see him with his eyes covered, standing at the door.

_W__ow… that was anti-climactic._

I didn't care though; I had hardly lifted my shirt past my belly button. I slowly pulled my shirt back down and walked towards him, pulled his hands from his eyes. "You were waiting for me?" I asked, still slightly frowning.

"Yeah, I guess." He answered, reading my expression.

"Okay, so… I'm here!" I announced. He looked at me blankly. There was an awkward silence. "What did you want to tell me?" I asked impatiently.

"Nothing." He said innocently. I narrowed my eyes.

"Fine! I'll see you at the dinner table." I snapped and shut the door. I locked it and quickly changed into more comfortable clothing. I sighed and I pulled off my socks and threw them in the laundry basket. "He always does that." I muttered angrily to myself. I was in a T-shirt, and a knee-length skirt.

I re-painted my nails and brushed my hair before putting my head band back on. It wasn't six o'clock yet, but I wanted to help set up the table. I skipped down the stairs, forgetting my problems as I felt a wave of bliss enlighten me. I slid into the kitchen and took in the hot smell of chicken in the oven.

"Mmm… Smells tasty…" I noted and sighed. I walked on the tip of my toes to the dining area, peaking into the open area. It was empty. I smiled; the table was there, waiting for me to set it up. I went to the cabinets and pulled out everything I needed. I turned around with my hands full with plates and utensils, and hit something.

"Sorry!" I gasped and tried to get back a good hold on the load I carried.

"Here, let me help." Sasuke insisted. I hadn't even noticed it was him; I hadn't even given a thought to who it might have been. I let him take most of the things I carried and help me set up the table. "Sorry, about er… before." He coughed.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Uh… S-Sorry." He said quickly. I frowned.

"Sasuke, can you speak clearly, please?" I asked again. He sighed and stared at the table.

"Sorry." He finally said. I smirked.

"Chicken." I muttered and stared at the wall.

"What?" He asked, almost threateningly.

"Chicken," I sung, "Chicken, chicken! You can't even say sorry without whimpering like a poor little puppy!" I teased. He narrowed his eyes and they glared through me like knives. My smirk only grew wider.

"Oh, shut up, miss tattle tale!" He snapped. I immediately frowned.

"What are you talking about?" I quickly asked.

"Don't play innocent, I saw you threatening that guy at the gas station." He muttered, but loud enough for me to hear. I put my hands on my hips and stared at him disbelievingly.

"When was this? How did you witness this? What are you talking about?" I asked all too quickly. He smirked at my constant twitching.

"I was just minding my own business, fetching some salt at the corner store, then; bam! You appear from thin air, you stride into the store dramatically and pay for you gas. Then, you fly back into your car and start the engine. Are you leaving? No! You jump back out, and call out that man in his car. Then you start to yell at him, you're losing your patience-if you have any at all. And THEN, you tell on him!" Sasuke said dramatically as he used forks and spoons to demonstrate the scene.

I blinked.

"Wow." I mumbled; surprised that he spoken so much at once. His right eye was twitching, and he walked towards me quickly.

"Don't look so surprised." He simply said, his tone and voice normal again. I blinked again. I almost said 'wow'.

"Well then," A booming voice came from the kitchen entrance. Sasuke and I both turned to see Itachi glowering at us, "If you guys are done playing your _games_, I'd like to announce my departure!"

"What? You're leaving??" I asked.

"Got to go on a business trip." He lied; I could tell by the way he moved his index finger left and right. Yeah… it's pretty weird.

"You're going on vacation without us?" Sasuke asked. I guessed that he had noticed too. Itachi's finger stopped wiggling around.

"Yeah, you guys would ruin it. You're always bickering." He shrugged. I frowned at him. "Hey, think of it this way…" He started and made us come closer to hear his whisper (I don't see why, I mean; we're the only ones here!), "You guys get some time together. **Alone**." He snickered.

"Itachi!" Sasuke threatened. But Itachi had already started running, and would be out in seconds. I sighed.

"All right… Let's start eating, then." I said, and was followed by the sound of a closing door. In a few minutes, we managed to set up the table and serve ourselves some food. We ate in silence, and pondered. Sasuke was thinking hard and I was thinking hard on what Sasuke might be thinking hard about.

Simply put.

I had gulfed down my food quickly and grabbed an apple for desert. Sasuke stared curiously as I began to eat it like a squirrel. One line all across the center to start. Then chip off the top, follow with the bottom, and polish it with a not so clean finish. As I munched, I noticed him staring at me.

"Sasuke-kun." I said. He snapped out of his daze and stared at his food.

"Yeah?" He asked, after a short pause.

"… Are you going to eat that?" I asked. He frowned at me like a father would to his misbehaving child.

"…" He pushed his plate towards me and I beamed. Staying alone with Sasuke would be fun after all; Itachi wasn't here to steal all the leftovers, or rather, the goods. Sasuke grimaced as I threw to apple towards the garbage, and got a cool swish. "You're such a pig." He muttered. I rolled my eyes.

"Sometimes, it's okay to let your guard down." I explained. He raised an eyebrow, not understanding completely. "Don't you think even royalty, like a princess or prince, would like to forget everything and relax once in a while?"

"Yes, but I don't see anything royal about any of us. All I see is you making a fool of yourself." He told me. I rolled my eyes again, what a foolish boy.

"We don't have to be royalty, that's not the point!" I said and brought his plate to the kitchen. He got up and followed.

"Aren't you going to finish that?" He asked as he glanced at his semi-filled plate.

"All in due time, Sasuke-kun. Patience is a virtue." I said in a high and royal tone as I covered up the plate and dumped it in the fridge. He shook his head and followed me to the game room. I was in the mood for some pool, normally I wouldn't, because Itachi would always cream us and make us bet all our money.

"Pool? I'll own you, Sakura-chan. Are you sure?" He asked as he grabbed a pool stick. I smiled happily.

"First of all, no one can _own_ me; for I am not for sale," I stated, he rolled his eyes, "And second of all…" I slammed fifty bucks on the table. My actions spoke for themselves. He took out some money as well and set it on the table, smirking.

"**You're on**."

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In less than an hour, we both got bored of the match. We called it a tie, because neither was winning nor losing. We switched fifty dollar bills, just to make things a little interesting. But honestly, Itachi had been our main source of life, and nothing was interesting. When alone, we were like kids and calculus, we didn't fit together. One was stupid and the other was too complicated.

"So… what do you want to do?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I'll go do my homework." He yawned and got up. I quickly followed and was about to grab his arm, when his voice echoed in my head; "_Do you have separation anxiety or something…?_"

I wonder where that came from.

"Sakura-chan." He said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I blinked.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Do you-"

"_HAVE SEPERATION ANXIETY?!_" I nearly screamed in suspense, "Yes, fine! I do! Whatever will make you stop saying that-" I blabbed on, and on. He didn't seem to listen to what followed, and interrupted me.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you would mind making some of those vanilla milkshakes. They're really good." He said plainly. I frowned. He didn't know I snuck a bit of tomato juice in his...

"Sure, sure." I said and we walked up the stairs- the game room was in the basement- to the kitchen. We were right in front of the kitchen when the door bell rang.

"I'll get it." He told me when I glanced at him. I nodded my head and disappeared into the kitchen. As I dumped the ingredients to my concoction in the blender, I heard a low voice speaking to Sasuke. Sasuke was trying to make them go away- I knew because he hardly spoke; must've been sending one of Gaara famous glares. It was probably someone selling some stupid product to make wrinkles disappear.

How dumb.

I didn't hear the conversation get a little louder, as I turned on the noisy blender and watched everything mixed into a soft and bubbly liquid. "Sasuke-kuuuuun!!!" I heard a familiar voice whine. My face distorted disgustingly as I stepped out to the door. Karin's eyes widened for a second, and Sasuke turned to look at me. He was giving me a look stating; "You really shouldn't be here right now". The cat fight would have commenced right then and there. Vases breaking to pieces, couches shred to smithereens, curtains ripped and eyes popping from their sockets. All you would expect from two short-tempered maniacs.

But instead, someone even worse happened, it would be unforgivable, a moment I could never dream of forgetting. Sasuke's head turned towards Karin, I couldn't see his expression. Karin suddenly grabbed his face and pulled him into her, claiming his lips with her own.

My jaw dropped and I felt my body go numb. Sasuke didn't fight back, but he didn't grab her, or even respond; he was frozen. Was surprised? I didn't see or care what happened next, because my eyes over-flew with tears and I ran to my room; ready to pack all my belongings and leave.

_Moving In_ had been a huge mistake.


	10. Chapter 10

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 10:**

I let my tears fall down my pink cheeks as I stuffed all my clothes into a large suitcase. I could hear feint yelling downstairs, but I didn't care. I zipped up the suitcase and put on my jacket as I walked to my bedside table.

I took big steps towards the door and stopped, spinning back around on my heel. I darted back to my bedside table. I picked up my old radio and sighed. I opened my suitcase again and stuffed it inside as well. As I ran down the stairs, I heard the door slam shut and tried to go even faster.

"Sakura-chan, wait." I heard Sasuke protest as he walked to my side. I was heading to the kitchen.

"Don't talk to me." I snapped and entered the large area. He frowned at me.

"Are you going to leave, just because of that?" He asked angrily.

I didn't answer as I took out some things from the fridge.

"Sakura-chan!" He said loudly.

"**What?!!**" I yelled angrily and turned my furious glare to him.

"Don't tell me you're jealous… Wait, are you?" He suddenly laughed.

I let out a deep breath and started making sandwiches for myself. "I'm not going to answer that." I finally muttered.

"Sakura-chan…" He dragged.

"Just leave me alone, okay?!" I yelled at him, "When I ask you things you always block me out and push me away! Do you seriously expect me to keep opening up to you and answering _your_ questions when you won't ever answer _mine_?!"

He didn't speak, and had a painful look on his face.

I quickly calmed down, but didn't apologize. "Did you want to know why I was waiting for you earlier?" He asked after a long silence.

I kept making sandwiches and packing them into plastic bags. "Fine, like it matters now." I said angrily as I cut a sandwich in half. I suddenly felt something grab me and turn me. I dropped the knife.

Sasuke held my shoulders firmly. "I wanted to apologize, Sakura-chan." He whispered. I felt a shiver go down my spine as he smirked.

_Damn you, Sasuke. You and you're stupid superiority complex!!_

"I-I…" I stuttered stupidly.

"Yes?" He asked patiently, looking straight into my bright green eyes.

I frowned at him, trying to concentrate. "I'm n-not going to change m-my mind." I stated firmly and looked away. I could feel his face distort to a frown.

"I'm not letting you leave." He told me.

"Yes, you are. Believe me, it's not you… Sasuke-kun. I-It's me- Hell! It's Karin! Living here has just brought up so much trouble with her. Don't you see how obsessed with you she is? I-I just don't think it's fitting if I st-" He cut me off, mid-sentence, with a strong hug. I tried to push him away, but quickly gave in and wrapped my arms around his back. I could hear his heart beating calmly.

_No. I won't let him get to me._

I quickly backed away to take in a big deep of breath, and then slapped him across the face. "Sasuke-kun! Don't cut me off when I'm talking to you!" I panted. I hadn't hit him hard, but he held his cheek with a shocked expression on his face.

"S-Sakura-chan…" He barely mumbled as he stared at me, wide eyed.

"Yeah, that's my name. Don't wear it out! I'm leaving now, so you can forget about changing my mind!" I didn't know why or what I was talking about, but I grabbed the food I had prepared and blindly headed for the door. If I was going to settle things with Karin, this was the first step I needed to take.

He followed me outside, to my car.

I opened the pink monster's trunk and threw in my suitcase with brute force, then walked to the door.

"Sakura-chan, wait." He said once more and grabbed my wrist. He had regained his stoic expression as he prepared to stare me down. "You don't have to leave. There are easier ways to do this." He stated.

"Of course there are easier ways to do this. But unless you want me to murder Karin so we can work this out, I have to leave." I told him. Weird, I was talking to him as though he was my boyfriend. Wait… was he? I mean, he was nicer with me than anyone else, so that counts… right…? RIGHT?!

He put on an exhausted expression

I shook my head as I tried to calm down. "I'll be back as soon as possible, I promise." I told him, feeling almighty and brave as I said this.

"What are you talking about? Where are you going?!" He asked, scowling at me.

"I'll return to the dorms for now…" I said sadly, "I need to devise a plan on how to get rid of… _her_."

"But-"

"Sasuke-kun, can I ask you something?" I interrupted.

"Huh? W-What?" He asked, confused at my sudden change of tone.

"W-Well… You pushed Karin back after she, um… kissed you, right?" I asked nervously. I could tell that he was trying hard not to smile as he looked at me incredulously. I looked down to my feet sadly, predicting what he would say.

"Of course I did." He told me.

I didn't know what it was, but I had a feeling he wasn't lying to me. A smile slid across my cheeks and I threw my arms around him again. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." I murmured, "Don't forget to call me, and don't forget to e-mail me, and come and see me as much as you can, and don't forget me for once second, and-"

He lifted a hand and I immediately shut up. "I won't." He said quietly. I hoped in my car without another word, and raced off onto the road.

-

-

"Back again, Haruno-sama?" Tsunade greeted me with a smirk as I walked into her office, soaking wet. It had begun pouring like mad once I was on the road.

"Yes, ma'am." I pouted and approached her desk. She sighed.

"Things didn't work out with the Uchiha boys?" She asked slyly. I sent her cross look and she rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, I was kidding. I got your keys right here somewhere." She said quietly as she searched in her cabinets.

As I waited I took a seat on one of the, surprisingly, comfortable chairs. "Tsunade-sama, can I ask you a question?" I asked nervously, as I twirled my fingers around.

"Yes, of course." She said as she threw a few more papers out of her messy drawer.

I took in a deep breath, and sighed. "Could you, um… do me a favour?" I asked and looked up to her, only to see his round blonde head.

She sat up on her chair properly and put my keys on her desk. "What is it?" She asked.

"Well… There's this girl that- Wait, never mind. Forget I said anything." I quickly changed my mind. It didn't seem smart to involve the principal in my devious plans. I grabbed the keys and ran out the door. I sprinted towards the stairs to get to my dorm room; well, I tried but my suitcase really slowed me down. I struggled up the stairs and continued running as I huffed and puffed.

I stopped right in front of the door.

I checked my watch.

**6:57p.m.**

I stuck my key into its socket and spun it to the side. I pushed open the door, and screamed. "Don't come any closer, I'll call the police!!" Hinata yelled, her eyes shut, and swinging a butcher knife in the air.

"Whoa! Hinata, it's me!" I said, holding my hands up.

She suddenly opened her eyes and formed an 'O' with her mouth. "What… brings you… here?" She asked in embarrassment. She put away the knife and helped me with my suitcase.

"I'm trying to work things out with Sasuke-kun." I explained as I zipped open the bag.

"You say that like he's your boyfriend or something." Hinata noted. She pulled out my radio and plugging it by my old bed.

I blushed. "Well… not really, it's just…" I mumbled.

A huge grin spread onto Hinata's mouth.

"Why don't you ask him?? I always wondered what he thinks about us, and maybe what he would call us. I never had the guts to ask him, though."

Hinata nodded her head in agreement.

"Anyways, Karin came to the house today."

Her happy expression turned sour. She waited.

"She saw me and became very angry. She went so far as to kissing Sasuke." I mumbled.

Hinata looked like she could punch someone.

"So, I came here. Seeing as living there was causing such a commotion. I'm trying to solve this huge thing once and for all." I finally smiled.

Hinata hugged me tightly. When she let go, she was smiling so brightly, as if she hadn't seem me in years. "Well, it's great to have you here again, Sakura! If only Temari were here, then we could really celebrate…" Hinata said thoughtfully.

I had just noticed said girl's absence. "Why don't we just watch a movie?" I suggested, heading for our tiny living area.

Hinata beamed. "That's a wonderful idea." She squeaked.

-

-

**Wednesday**

I groaned and pulled off the sheets on my bed, before slamming my alarm clock. "Morning!" Hinata greeted me.

Temari waved and smiled.

Hinata, who was cooking a few pancakes, looked excited for the new day. Temari, on the other hand, looked very absorbed and distracted as she skimmed the news paper and sipped her coffee.

I rolled out of bed and fell to the floor. I had forgotten how tiny my bed was. I spread my limbs and stretched them as I let out a huge yawn. I took in the sweet sent of pancakes.

_Yummmm…_

I shot up and got some clothes ready, then headed to the bathroom for a long awaited shower.

-

-

After my quick shower, I ate breakfast on my bed. I had three fluffy pancakes, marinated in maple syrup.

_Deeeelicious._

I quickly thought back of the night before…

Temari had come back in the middle of our watching 'Rush Hour'. She joined us as we watched the sequel and re-winded the funnier moments several. It was night filled with joy and laughter, until Temari received the news of the project that she needed done by tomorrow- Which she hadn't even started yet. We had spent the rest of the night cramming on the computer to get it done.

_Oh yeah… That's what happened._

I combed my hair as I stared at the television distractedly. We were watching a show on Meer Kats. It was quite entertaining. I glanced at my clock: 8:00a.m. We were now allowed to leave our rooms. Classes started at nine o'clock, so I decided to visit the library to borrow a book to read.

"Hey, I'll be right back," I told my roommates and grabbed my student card. I walked out and closed the door, which automatically locked when closed, and headed for the library in my giant polo sweater and jeans.

After a few minutes of endless hallways and doors, I found the giant two library doors. I walked inside and glanced at the right corner, where the computers were. Nobody was there yet; it was rare to see even one person at the current time.

I headed for the book section and looked at the towers of books. "Hmm… Where to start?" I mumbled to myself.

-**15 minutes later…**-

"Ah, here we are." I said loudly, earning a threatening glance from the librarian. I sent an apologetic smile before reading my book title aloud.

'Speak'. It said. I guess it would do for now. I walked to the desk and flashed my student card through the machine, and gave the book to the librarian. She stared at the brush in my other hand before continuing. She registered some crap on her computer and gave me back my book.

I walked out.

I jogged back towards the stairs and nearly bumped into someone on my way. "Oh, sorry!" I quickly said and looked up to their face. "Oh, hey there Naruto-kun." I greeted the blue-eyed boy.

He did a double-take. "S-Sakura-chan? Why are you here so early?" He asked me.

Oh, that's right.

"I moved out of the Uchiha Mansion." I explained.

His eyes widened for a second. "Can't you two get along for just one week?!" He exclaimed. It was funny of him to say this; because it was usually he and Sasuke that were bickering.

"That's not why I left!" I told him, "Do you know how annoying Karin is?!" I nearly yelled, throwing my arms in the air.

He glanced at the brush in my hand, and the book in the other. "Hehe, yeah. Sasuke told me about her." Naruto snickered.

"Well, I have to get back now." I said and sighed, "See ya!" I waved and ran off before he could yell a reply.

-

-

I arrived back at the dorm and threw my book onto my bed. I turned to Hinata, who was still watching TV. Temari was in the shower. I suddenly remembered how boring dorm life really was. I missed Sasuke… and Itachi… and I most of all, our pointless arguments. I sighed and fell onto the floor. "Sasuke called a few minutes ago." Hinata noted through the chewing of her gum.

My face suddenly lit up.

"Really?!" I asked.

"Yeah. He told me to tell you that the house felt really empty and he was looking forward to seeing you at the café this afternoon." Hinata explained to me.

I nearly fainted from delight. I squealed and wiggled around, giggling madly.

Hinata sent me a strange glance.

"Yes. I am Haruno Sakura- Not some crazy impostor." I grinned.

Hinata rolled her eyes, "Are you sure that he isn't your boyfriend??" She asked. I frowned.

"I already told you that we are just…. Well…. No, he's not!" I fluttered.

"I take your word for it." She muttered and smiled.

-

The bell rang.

-

I went to class.

-

Gaara greeted me. "Wow, you're early today." He commented. "What's with this new behaviour all of a sudden?" He asked.

I beamed. I was about to explain, when Kakashi-sensei began to speak. "I'll tell you at the end of class." I whispered. We both set our concentration at the task at hand as our Biology class started.

-

"So, what were you saying before?" Gaara asked as we walked out of the classroom.

"Oh yeah…" I mumbled, "I moved back into the dorms." I told him. I didn't think he was surprised, but I didn't turn to look him in the face to check. I was too busy lingering on my own thoughts.

Memories cam e back to me of the previous day. I remembered everything clearly, Itachi's departure… Playing in the game room… Making milkshakes… The kiss… And my very own departure. I felt an unwanted tear fall down my cheek and hurried to wipe it away.

It was no use, Gaara had seen it. Apparently he had been watching me the whole time. "It's that Sasuke guy isn't it? Well, it he hurt you, he's going to pay…" He growled and picked up his pace.

I ran back to his side. "Wait! Don't get the wrong idea, it wasn't him! It was-" I insisted.

He stalked down the hall like a lion creeping towards their prey. Everyone took a step back when they saw him approach. "There's not point in defending him. I've got my mind set." He muttered and disappeared into the crowd.

I could've screamed and pulled all my pink locks out that minute, but I decided to restrain myself for the moment to think. Would Gaara really do something that bad? What if they begin a fight? What if Sasuke, or even him, got really hurt?

I hadn't realized how long I had been standing in the hall thinking, the second bell rang loudly and echoed everywhere. "Dang it! I'm late **again**!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 11:**

I burst through the classroom door and fell flat on my face. I heard the whole class laugh at me. I cursed under my breath, "Sorry for being late, Anko-sensei…" I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes.

The students only laughed harder. I opened my eyes and stared at them. Who were they…? I turned to my teacher, and I nearly had a heart attack. "A-A-Anko-sensei, you had plastic surgery?!" I nearly screamed when I saw a person I didn't recognize.

"I'm not Anko-sensei, girl! Now get out of here, you're disrupting my class!" They warned me. I felt my face go red.

God, how could I make such a stupid mistake?

I quickly ran back out, the sound of laughter resonating in my head. I pouted and crossed my arms as I slumped towards the actual class, a few meters away. I reached the door and slowly opened it, peaking, to make sure that Anko was there. I let out a sigh of relief.

"A-Ano, Anko-sensei, sorry for being late." I mumbled apologetically and walked towards my seat. I was one of the only students in the class that Anko didn't dread seeing. She beamed at my entrance into her Drama class.

"Oh, we were just handing out some scripts for the new project." Anko explained. "Sakura, you're in team 3. With Kiba, Shino, Temari, Shikamaru, Lee and Naruto." She told me and pointed to my group. She then handed me a worn-out book from the school's collection.

I looked down at the book. It was a book of poems and nursery rhymes.

"Your team will be doing a small skit based on the poem you choose in this book. Good luck!" She exclaimed and skipped to the next team to check their progress. I got up and walked to my team.

Naruto beamed. "Hi Sakura-chan. We chose a cool poem to do our skit on!" He said loudly. I sat down and he showed me the page.

"Seven Little Indians" was the title. The poem was short, and I knew it by heart, because I had heard it several times before:

_Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;_ _one choked his little self and then there were Nine._  
_Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;_ _one overslept himself and then there were Eight._  
_Eight little Indian boys traveling in __Devon_ _one said he'd stay there and then there were Seven._  
_Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;_ _one chopped himself in halves and then there were Six._  
_Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;_ _a bumblebee stung one and then there were Five._  
_Five little Indian boys going in for __law_ _one got into __Chancery__ and then there were Four._  
_Four little Indian boys going out to sea;_ _a __red herring__ swallowed one and then there were Three._  
_Three little Indian boys walking in the __Zoo_ _a big __bear__ hugged one and then there were Two._  
_Two Little Indian boys playing with a gun; one shot the other and then there was one._  
_One little Indian boy left all alone;_ _he went out and hanged himself and then there were none._

"So… who wants to die first?" Temari asked.

-

-

My eyes darted all over the halls uncontrollably. News had come out of a fight. I hoped to kami (god) that it didn't involve who I feared it did. Sai and Hinata were following me quietly, wondering what I was doing. "Sakura, what in the hell are you looking for?" Sai asked calmly.

"Gaara. We're looking for Gaara." I finally told him. I heard someone yell and dashed in that direction.

"S-Sakura, wait!" Hinata pleaded as she and Sai followed, hot on my trail. I quickly turned into a second hall and stopped in my tracks. Gaara was standing in front of Sasuke, who was glaring at him with an equal amount of anger. It looked as though they had finished arguing and were about to get physical.

I ran to catch up to Gaara, but he had already grabbed Sasuke's neck, and thrust him into the lockers. "I already told you, I didn't do **anything** to her." Sasuke growled, not scared in the least. Gaara's glare intensified.

"Then who the hell forced her out of your home?!" He yelled angrily.

"I left on my own accord!" I screamed. The two suddenly whipped their heads in my direction. I hadn't realised that tears had started to pour down my face, or that Sai had been supporting me in his arms.

Gaara slowly let go of Sasuke's neck, who coughed and rubbed it in response. "Sorry Sakura. I made a mistake." He said roughly.

"Well if your temper wasn't so uncontrollable you would have realised sooner!" I yelled in response. "Let's go Sai, I'm tired of this." I muttered. He hesitated and looked at Gaara, an indescribable look in his eye.

"Sakura, I'm truly, very sorry." Gaara slowly said. I couldn't muster up anymore anger, Gaara had practically been another parent to me, and he had raised me when my mother could not. I turned to look at him and Sai let me go.

I ran to him and hugged him like I never had before, crying all the tears that begged for release. He still looked as though he'd enjoy giving Sasuke a good beating; he hadn't had the chance to have a decent fight in a while. That hypocrite.

"You forgive me." It sounded like a question, but we both new it was a statement. A small smile appeared on both our lips. "Come on kid, stop crying." He said and patted my head. I sniffed loudly and wiped away my tears.

"T-Thanks Gaara." I stuttered. He glanced at Sasuke, and I copied. I began to get worried when Gaara's smile disappeared and in came a very serious look.

"If you even hurt her-" Gaara began again.

"I know." Sasuke said, smirking. I finally felt it safe to let my smile return.

-

-

"Am too."

"Are not."

"Am too!"

"Are. Not."

"You're a jerk, you know that?"

"Hn."

I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time. First the man says a blueberry muffin with whip cream, then he changes to a cheeseburger with no pickles, THEN he decides to take the muffin instead, after I throw it into the compost!

Then, Sasuke was to come along and scold me like I'm a child; and says I didn't charge the man enough for his stupid muffin.

"It _was_ a dollar. You know I'm right."

"Are not."

"Am too!"

He only sighed and shook his head. I ignored him and headed to the back for my break. I sat down in the back lounge, where Rock Lee was eating as well. Oh great. I had forgotten that we had the same lunch break.

"Hello, my sweet cherry blossom! What brings your beautiful presence to this eloquent man?" He said. He didn't realise he was insulting himself at the same time.

"Hunger." I answered and fell onto a seat.

"Ah, interesting…" He said. This guy really needed to stop over-thinking things.

I took out a blue container that held the fruit salad I had made with the ingredients stolen from the restaurant's freezer room. I opened it and stared at it happily. My stomach growled in anticipation. Lee watched in excitement as I shoved a grape down my throat.

"T-That looks really good." He almost drooled.

I smiled, "Sometimes, things really are what they seem." And I took a huge spoonful of my creation.

He stared quietly as I slowly ate and held his breath when I brought the last spoonful to my mouth. I frowned and lowered the spoon.

"Here, you can have it." I finally decided, satisfied with the torture. I put the spoon back into the container and passed it to him.

As he gobbled it down, he stared at the clock. "My break is over. See you, princess!" He said and darted off. I groaned at the new name. Nonetheless, I took out the sandwich I had made during my leave from the mansion.

It looked more like a sub to me. I ripped off a small piece and threw it upwards; so it would fall into my open mouth.

I waited.

Nothing…?

I opened one eye, my sandwich was gone. I heard a chuckle behind me.

Sasuke leaned against my chair, back facing me. "This is pretty good, for a sandwich that was made in such a rush…" He teased.

I poked his back. "Gimme the sandwich, Sasuke!" I threatened, "Or I'll… I'll-"

"Or you'll…?" He drawled.

I scoffed, meaning I had no comeback at the moment.

He chuckled and turned around, smirking. "If you really want it…" He shook the sandwich around in his right hand, taunting me, "Come and get it."

I quickly got up and lunged for it, but he moved it up into the air. "Give it back!" I told him and jumped, trying to grab it.

"You're too short." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

I wasn't short, He was just too tall. "Stop it, Sasuke!" I whined, still trying to jump and catch it. So close, yet so far…

He began to walk away, still holding the sandwich up high. I inwardly groaned and ran after him and pounced onto his back. He obviously wasn't expecting this and tripped over his own feet. As we head towards the ground the sandwich flew out of his grip.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" I yelled as he approached the ground in what seemed like slow motion.

**THUD**

"Ow." He groaned in a muffled voice. I ran off of him and towards my sandwich, it was completely dismembered on the floor. Tomatoes to the right, turkey to the left, bread in the center, cheese scattered there and sauce all around.

I turned to glare at him; he was only beginning to get up. "Look at what you did to my sandwich!" I accused him as I got to my feet.

He returned his own glare as he rubbed his temples, "You're the one who jumped me." He retorted laconically.

"Well… aren't you going to pick up this mess?" I asked intently.

He glared at the food on the floor.

"I'll give you a tomato if you do it." I insisted.

He gave me a look. "I'm not a dog."

"Oh! Sorry, I shouldn't have made the mistake!" I gasped in mock horror.

He rolled his eyes.

I ignored him and glanced at the clock, "I only have two minutes left, it's not like I can do much with… _that_." I glanced at my used-to-be sandwich, "I don't have time to make or eat another anyway, since there's nothing I can do, I might as get back to work." I said regretfully.

He spun me around and held me close to him.

I looked up to see whether he was mad, but he looked rather amused.

"There's still something we can do to pass the time…" He drawled and smirked at me mischievously. Before I could react, he swiftly leaned in to claim my lips. I quickly let go of any tense feelings I previously held, and I grabbed his shirt to pull him closer.

He turned me so my back was against the wall, and deepened the kiss. Sasuke always dominated, and I followed along equally, as if we were spinning freely on the dance floor. We both pulled away for a quick breath. And I took quite some time to formulate a sentence.

"S-Sasuke-kun... Are you s-sick??" I asked, putting a shaky hand on his forehead. He didn't seem to be burning up.

He looked bemused. "Why would you ask that?" He asked and narrowed his eyes at me.

I gulped. "Er... Well, don't you t-think you're acting kind of weird?" I asked.

He waited patiently for me to continue.

I took a step back so I could have some space to breathe. "I mean… Y-You've never kissed me like that…" I said in a strained voice, with my hands on my cheeks as I turned red. I felt his smirk on me and turned around, so my back was facing me.

He didn't move, but I could still feel him smirking.

I shuddered. "Stop it." I muttered.

He took a small step forward. "Stop what?" He asked.

"Stop smirking at me like that!" I told him.

Now, I knew his smirk levels were at the top of the smirko-meter. "How do you know I'm smirking?" He taunted.

"I can feel it." I simply said. I turned around and took a step forward. Now I could b **see** /b it.

Doing exactly as I suspected he would, he kissed me again. Just as I began to run my hands through his onyx hair, I heard something creaking.

I opened my eyes, and they widened as I realised that Neji had just entered the room for his own lunch break. Sasuke hadn't noticed, and continued to kiss me very softly. Neji turned towards us and did a double-take. His jaw dropped; something I'd never seen the composed and self-controlled boy do before. My hands fell from his hair to his shoulders.

"S-Sasuke!" I nearly screeched and pushed him away.

He quickly pulled his head back, staring at me impatiently. I turned to look at Neji again. He stared, at a loss for words; and was gone in a flash.

Sasuke quickly turned his head, to try and catch whatever I was scared of. He returned his gaze to me. "What is it?" He asked.

I put my hand over my mouth and looked at my feet as my face turned pale. "N-Neji…" I choked.

"Neji? What do you mean?" He asked.

"H-He saw us. He came in and… Oh, we're done for." I said hopelessly.

He frowned at me. I couldn't tell whether he was horrified or amused by the whole thing.

"Y-You don't think Neji would tell anyone, would you?" I asked, worried.

"No, but with such awfully heavy information I doubt he could hold it in for long." Sasuke admitted.

I gulped.

"Well…" he paused, "Well, I guess that means there's nothing left to hide, right?" He asked.

_Well… I suppose…_

"Sasuke, wait." I told him, and held his shoulders firmly. We both turned to the door, which was eerily creaking. We shared the same glance of terror and dashed for the back door.

-

-

I sighed.

I didn't know why or when Sasuke had become so dependant of me, and I'd wondered all day long as I sat in my dorm room, with my chin rested on my knees. I wrapped my legs with my arms and had been in that position for a very long time. When I had arrived, Temari was taking a hot bath and Hinata was gone.

I sighed again.

I tried imagining him all alone at home, doing absolutely nothing. It wasn't hard to imagine, Sasuke was always swimming in his own thoughts. Then I remembered the fight that had broke out between him and Gaara many hours ago. Seeing Gaara holding him in his grasp was terrifying, but Sasuke still acted calm.

How did he do it?

I couldn't have stayed under such control for a measly two minutes. Those thoughts reminded me of Neji, when he discovered our little 'meeting' in the back lounge. Itachi would have been proud of it too. Sasuke had been so absorbed with what he was doing that his usual alertness had faded, and he was on a completely different planet.

With that last thought, Hinata walked in, looking a bit stressed. Only when she turned to look me in the eye did I realise that she was breathing really heavily, as though she'd just run a marathon.

"They all know… The whole school knows about you and Sasuke..." She said breathlessly.

-

-

**Thursday**

I woke up with a huge headache, there was noise echoing through the halls for hours last night. After the dumbfounded girls finally settled down to the idea that Sasuke was taken, it was already three hours past midnight.

I cursed under my breath as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Hinata and Temari were still sleeping, meaning that the noise had caused them to stay awake as well. I sighed and got out of my bed, it was funny how quickly I had gotten used to it.

After cleaning up, I walked towards the window. We had a great view of the school grounds. The grass wasn't the greenest, but it was still nice to observe under the sun. We could also see the girl's pool house from our window. That reminded me of that swim I had been dying to take. We were already aloud to get out of our rooms, so I woke up Temari and Hinata before walking out.

As I walked towards down the stairs to the first floor, I made a mental note to try and avoid any undesired contact. I pulled my hood over my head to cover my recognizable hair. Once I reached the last stair, I saw Naruto and Kiba having a silent argument about something. Naruto saw me heading in their direction and stared at me, not realising who I was at first.

"Oh, hi Sak-" I quickly covered his mouth.

"Naruto-kun, I'm trying to keep a low profile here!" I hissed and looked around; no one had paid attention to his sudden burst. I removed my hand to let him talk properly.

"Oh, Gomen." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Wait… Does that mean that you're…" Kiba lowered his voice to a whisper, "_Sasuke's girlfriend?_" Naruto's eyebrows rose significantly and his eyes widened. I felt my face heat up.

"Uh, W-Well, we aren't really-" I stuttered.

"YOU AND SASUKE ARE-" Naruto yelled, before I covered his mouth again. This time some heads turned, but no one knew that it was I that he was talking about.

"Naruto-kun, SHH!!" I hissed angrily.

Kiba put on a sly smile.

I turned to him, not letting my hand move. "What?"

"Neji had let it slip by accident after you two finished disappeared. In less than an hour, it spread like wild-fire in the café. He said you two were quite _busy_ in the back lounge." Kiba laughed.

I groaned and slapped my forehead with my hand, before letting it slide down my face. "Oh, just great." I mumbled sarcastically. Naruto muffled noises made me pull back my hand.

"That's not fair, no one told me!" He whined in a whisper.

"It's probably because, if they did, then the whole country would have known." I muttered. "You've got a bigger mouth than any girl I know."

He frowned.

"So…. What exactly happened after you guys left?" Kiba asked, smirking devilishly.

I punched his chest angrily. "He just brought me back to school and left, you sick-minded fool!" I growled.

The two laughed nervously, as though they would like to add something more. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, all of this is making me dizzy. See you later…" I sighed and kept walking to my destination.

I soon arrived at the pool house, and changed into my swimsuit. It was a plain black one with three bright green stripes going across the top. I walked to the pool's edge and dipped my lower legs in. Our pool had temperature adjustment, and it was always warm. I slowly slid the rest of my body inside and shivered.

The water was relaxing, like a gigantic bath tub. I decided to swim across the whole pool and back, just to get used to the feeling of the water. I quickly pushed my feet against the pool walls, and began to swim towards the other side. The pool was gigantic, and it seemed to take forever, but when I finally reached the other end, I felt a little energized.

I took in some breath and began to swim all the way back. "Hey Sakura!" I heard someone yell. I immediately stopped and began choking on the water. I grabbed my neck, suffocating from the lack of air, and sinking from the weight of my lungs full of water. Before I could sink to the bottom of the pool, I felt a hand grab my arm and pulled me up.

I was pulled onto the cold tiles and coughed out all the water without hesitation. I felt a burning sensation in my throat, as though I had grazed it with a skin peeling knife.

"Oh god, are you okay?!" They asked loudly.

"Yeah, I-I think so…" I croaked. I looked up; Tenten was staring at me with a worried look. "You really s-scared me there, Tenten."

Tenten gave a small smile, "Yeah, sorry. I was just saying hi." She apologized.

I laughed, though it hurt my throat even more. "That's okay… Say, do you want to race?" I suddenly asked.

She looked surprised, "Oh, sure." She said. I could see that she was already in her swimsuit.

I was surprised; it was a professional sports brand swimsuit. "Do you participate in competitions?" I asked.

She smiled, "Yeah, I got a silver medal in the Japanese championship for juniors." She admitted.

I suddenly felt my chances of winning sink to the bottom (no pun intended), "Well then, all the more reason to have a race!" I concluded.

We jumped into the pool and swam at our maximum, I lost, naturally. But we still raced and raced, until we would have to go to class. I had won a few times, but Tenten was good at all sports I could think of, who was I kidding?

-

-

It was certain now. I was to act as the last Indian; the one who would be left alone and would hang themselves. It was quite ironic, if you compared it to my own family. I was the only one to take the role, since Naruto really thought it funny to be hugged to death by a bear, and Shino was first to die, so he could get the whole thing over with.

It sounded so mellow, but it was the poem we had chosen.

"_Two Little Indian boys playing with a gun; one shot the other and then there was one._" Temari said.

I lifted the imaginary gun to her head. She waited, horrified, as I made a professional clicking sound with my tongue and the boom resonated for our audio CD. She felt to the ground dramatically and I dropped my weapon.

The lights flickered and while they stayed shut, I climbed onto a chair and tied a rope around my neck. My worn out clothing and messy hair completed my look of dread. Though it was only an act, I felt my heart begin to race. Naruto sneaked up to me and handed me the eye drops. I took them from him and tilted my head back.

I stopped; tears were already falling down my cheeks. I pretended to use them in the dark and handed them back to him. Half of the lights flickered back on.

"_One little Indian boy left all alone;_ _he went out and hanged himself-_" My voice cracked, "…_and then there were none._"

I felt my lips quivering as I let my head fall to the side, as though dead. As Naruto headed to the light switch to completely light the room, he passed by too quickly and made me lose my balance. I screamed as, slowly, the chair slipped out from under my feet and fell over. I felt the gravity pull me down, and suddenly the rope tied around my neck tightened and I immediately chocked for air.

I heard screaming all round the classroom as Anko quickly grabbed me in her arms to support me; I quickly pulled off the rope, wheezed and coughed uncontrollably. I fell onto my knees and hands as Anko held my shoulder gently. She was shaking a lot.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, are you okay?!" She rambled.

And that was the last I could bear before I ran out of the classroom.


	12. Chapter 12

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 12:**

I choked on my spit as I sobbed and ran down the hallway. I ignored the calls from Naruto and my teacher and turned down a different hall, leaving their sight. I passed the girls bathrooms and Hinata and Sai's English class. I could've sworn I saw Hinata see me run passed the open door. I ran for a few minutes before I grew tired and slowed my pace.

As I wiped my eyes and turned into a hallway that led to the staircase, I rammed into something. I fell flat on my butt and tried to stop my sobbing. I opened my eyes and slowly looked up.

_Damn it._

I knew I was in deep trouble as I stared into the eyes of the person in front of me, they looked furious. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Karin seethed.

I gulped and quickly wiped away my tears as I stood up and tried to regain my calm. "Yeah." I managed the choke up.

"What happened to _you_?" She asked as she looked me up and down as her nose scrunched in disgust.

I couldn't dig up enough anger to retort what I truly felt like saying. "Where've you been, anyway?" I calmed myself enough to say.

Her face turned back to normal and she looked at me strangely. "Not too happy, are you? Did Sasuke already dump you?" She snapped.

I could've sworn I heard a hint of hope in her voice. "No… Just going through some more near death experiences, that's all." I mumbled. What a weird conversation we were having.

"Right." She simply said. We stood quietly for a moment. "So… I guess you win round one." She sighed.

I did a double-take. "What? Win what?" I quickly asked.

She had a faint smile. "All is fair in love and war."

I waited for her to continue.

"You caught Sasuke before me, and that's it." She explained.

I couldn't believe my ears. "Oh… Well that's…" I couldn't find any words to describe it. I didn't feel any better. My problems were like a giant ant hill, no matter how many ants you killed; it didn't make much of a difference. It always seemed like they had an infinite supply waiting to pop up.

"But that doesn't mean we're friends. And that doesn't mean I don't hate you anymore either. After all, you stole the one guy I wanted, and the only reason why you're still standing here is because I haven't found a way of taking him from you. Until then… you better watch your back." She smirked before walking off.

Thoughts raced through my mind as I walked towards the janitor's supply closed and snuck inside. It wasn't all that roomy but I had only wanted some time to think. As I sat on the downside of the bucket I tried to figure out whether all of this was real or I was in a very bad dream.

Also known as a: _nightmare_.

-

-

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a very dark room, and my butt hurt. I tried to stand and leaned forward too much, hitting my head on what felt like a wall. "Ouch…" I mumbled as I rubbed my head. I realized that I had been sitting on a bucket, the reason for my rear pain. I remembered that I had been in the supply closet, and had probably fallen asleep.

I groaned as I reached for the door knob and turned it. I sleepily walked out and closed it behind me. It dawned on me that night had fallen. "Oh shit!" I swore loudly. I saw the hall guard's flashlight approaching from around the corner and ran back into the supply closet. I creaked the door open just a bit.

The chubby man had greying dark brown hair, a beard, and a moustache. He was walking with a swagger, which he had probably picked up from one of the high school boys. I struggled not to laugh as he seemingly walked with a limp down the hall.

I could faintly hear him singing a song, with one headphone in his ear, as he turned and left. I quickly ran out of the closet and towards the stairs, from which I managed to arrive at my dorm room safely.

I opened the door and let out a huge yawn as it automatically closed beside me. "Sakura!" Hinata yelled and jumped onto me, giving me a tight hug. Temari was right behind her.

My yawn was cut off short and I waited for her to let go to breathe. She quickly did so and put her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation. "…What?" I slowly asked as I took my chance to breathe.

"Where the hell were you?! We were so worried; we thought you ran off out side or something!" She rambled, I was surprised, Hinata rarely swore. Temari had a look of relief on her face, but Hinata looked completely exhausted.

"Whoa! Calm down!" I urged her and was pushed deeper into the room.

"Hinata went crazy, and you _know_ how anxious she gets, Sakura!" Temari whispered to me, as she pushed me towards a chair.

I sat down and blinked. An unpleasant memory of an annoying Hyuuga girl talking non-stop about absolute nonsense when she had been waiting for her final exam results came into mind. I laughed nervously. "Sorry…" I mumbled.

"Well, as long as you're here now…" Temari yawned.

Hinata smiled and seated herself on her big panda plushie, formed as a seat. "So, tell us… what happened to you?" Hinata asked me, now looking quite anxious.

I let out an exasperated sigh before beginning. "I'm guessing Temari already told you what happened in class…" I said.

Temari nodded her head.

"Well, after I totally ditched you guys, I ran into Karin." I told them casually, as if it happened everyday, "Then I took a long nap in a supply closet." I quickly finished.

"Hey, wait a second! What happened when you met Karin?" Hinata asked.

I let out a huge yawn and stretched my arms as I answered. "You won't believe it… but, Karin and I just… talked." I told them.

They both blinked. "You just _talked_?" Temari asked.

I slowly explained the rest of my adventure thoroughly.

Soon, things settled down and I was able to get into my bed for some sleep. I heard Hinata's bedside lamp flicker off and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room. I glanced towards the window. It had just began snowing, a reminder of the ever approaching holidays.

Christmas!

It was still quite a while away but I was still planning on what to buy my friends… Maybe I could get some stress relieving yoga videos for Gaara to try out; to calm his temper. I giggled out loud. No one made a sound, so I continued to think to myself.

Hinata had almost everything, being the wealthy child she was, so what would she want? Some chocolate maybe… A big plate of hugs and kisses? It was the only thing she didn't have after all; love. Her parents hardly paid attention to her. They thought that, to make a child happy, you just needed to shove unlimited supplies of gifts in their face. I sighed loudly. I heard Hinata shift in her bed.

Ahh… on to Sai. He was quite the subject, that boy. He needed some mental healing, maybe a nice long book? I'll probably give him a video game or something to keep him busy… I snickered quietly.

"Sakura-chan, shut up and go to sleep!" Temari ordered.

Alright, sleeping time now!

I closed my eyes and enveloped myself in endless wrappings of thoughts, dreams and nightmares.

-

-

I had woken up screaming again. I couldn't even remember what I had dreamt about, and Hinata became very suspicious, thinking I was trying to hide the truth from her. "I swear, I don't remember!" I told her for the umpteenth time.

She studied my face calmly, just as she had done many times before. "Sakura… Your screams… They were so… They were filled with so much pain." She finally said.

I felt taken a back for a moment. It only made me want to know what my nightmare had been about even more. I sighed and opened my locker. My lunchbox was placed there, waiting for me. Apparently there was a special treat inside that Hinata had gotten me and she wouldn't let me see it until lunch time.

Good thing lunch time was now. I grabbed it and closed my locker. Just as I was about to turn and leave, I felt someone push me against my locker. "Eh?" I squeaked and looked up. Oh god…

"Hello, sweet cheery blossom. I have been told that my eternal love for you might be catching on, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked, holding out a rose.

I frowned. "Lee, in case you didn't already know, Sasuke's my boyfriend. And I don't plan on leaving him anytime soon." I said and pushed him back, giving myself some space to breathe.

"But I'm sure my sources were correct! A certain someone told me that you-"

"A certain someone…?" I muttered.

_Karin strikes again._

"I told you, I have a boyfriend." I repeated and walked away from him. Hinata looked bewildered, but followed closely behind. Karin sure didn't take much time to think of a plan, but sending only Rock Lee must have just been a warm-up for her. I would simply have to wait for her whole plan to set motion.

Hinata followed me quietly into the cafeteria, where we found Sai and Gaara waiting for us. We found our table and quickly sat there. We were soon joined by Naruto and Sasuke, who I was surprised, had shown up. I could feel girls glaring at me from miles away as he sat next to me.

"Hi Sasuke-kun." I said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hi Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan, Gaara-kun, Sai-kun, Sasuke-teme!!" Naruto yelled before Sasuke could react.

"Shut up, dobe," He said and smacked Naruto's head, "You're too loud, as usual."

Hinata and I shared blissful smirks.

"Hey." Gaara greeted them in a bored tone.

Sai merely glanced and smiled.

I held Sasuke's hand. "Sasuke-kun, I think we should talk about something…" I told him.

He looked at me curiously. "What about?"

I blushed, and traced circles on his hand. "Well, Lee… er… tired to kiss me in the hall. You know how he kind of likes me and all…"

"More like he's obsessed with you." Sasuke snorted and looked around the cafeteria, looking for a certain bowl hair cut boy.

"Well, please don't get mad at him. I think someone told him that I was… interested in him." I explained.

_And I think I know who it is…_

"And who is that?" Gaara suddenly asked, he was on the defensive, I could tell by the look in his eye.

"Guys, stop worrying so much! I can't tell you, because if you guys go and beat up the suspect, and it's the wrong person, then who knows how much trouble we'd all get in to? I'll handle it by myself." The two boys seemed unsettled, but would have to stay still for now.

Lunch soon came to an end, and Sasuke was forced to leave quickly. "See you at the café, Sasuke-kun." I said and gave him a quick kiss, once more. He smirked in response and left me and Hinata, the only ones in the huge room.

_Time to open presents!!_

I felt Hinata's nervousness beside me, but decided to ignore it. She took my lunchbox and took out a rectangular box, wrapped in green wrapping paper. "Come on, open it up." She told me, a small smile on her lips.

I gently took it from her hands, and then opened it piece by piece. Finally, inside, I found a picture frame. "It's so…" I mumbled and flipped it around. I gasped and nearly dropped it. Hinata bit her lip hard.

The picture the aged wood encased was one of my family and I, sitting in front of our Christmas tree. The picture was nearly seven years old, back when my family was still in one piece.

"I-I…" Hinata stuttered, "I found it in an old box in your closet… It was so ripped and torn that you couldn't even see the picture. I asked my mother that it be fixed… I would never have thought… t-that it would be something like that… So, I decided that it would be best if you had it." Hinata mumbled quietly.

I could tell that she was afraid of how I would react, and so was I. I was absolutely speechless. I didn't know whether to be sad, or angry, or happy. So I gave Hinata a tight hug, for a very long moment… and ran out of the school.

-

-

I silently raced down the open road in my car; I was feeling so little, that I felt so much. I felt confused, that was the only word I knew that could describe even the slightest amount of emotion in me. 

_That doesn't mean you were born to run,  
Either we're vain or we're broken hearted. _

I suddenly turned, and realized were I was heading. My old, quiet home was sitting so silently, waiting for me.

_We don't believe in the heaven above,  
That's why we're back to the place that we started. _

I didn't gulp. I didn't take a deep breath. I simply parked my car near the house and got out. I sprinted to the lawn, it was white and snowy.

_That doesn't mean you were born to run,  
Either we're vain or we're broken hearted. _

A snowman completed the desired look. Despite the cold, I threw off my winter jacket and lay it on the snow. I shivered and sat down on the jacket, legs and arms crossed.

_As sure as the stars in the skies above,_

And I just stared.

_We're goin' back to the place that we started..._

I stared at the house that I had once lived in. It seemed so long ago. The nostalgia of it all seemed completely unreal. I slowly blinked and looked up to the stars.

And the music still played.

I wondered whether it could all be real, and the pain in my heart threatened to tar me to pieces. And I wandered into my thoughts again…

_If the sky would fall,  
Would it take that to bring us together? _

"Mother… Father…" I choked, forgetting all my surroundings.

_Do we have to start, all over again? _

A clinging noise startled me, and I glanced towards the door, where an elderly woman stood. "You must be so cold, why don't you come in?" She asked me kindly. I quickly wiped away my tears.

I considered her offer for a few seconds, before answering. "T-Thank you… I'd love to." I stood up and grabbed my now wet jacket. I walked inside, fearing nothing. I saw the stairs leading to the room and basement to my right, the closet to my left, and the kitchen and living room just down the hall.

I slowly walked into the kitchen, following the lady. The wood floors creaked beneath me, giving me a giddy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Oh my, you look so restless! School work is stressing you, right?" She conversed happily.

I took the seat she offered me, and watched her pace around the kitchen, the pitter patter of her slippers made my head spin. "Oh, how rude of me," I realized, "I haven't introduced myself… My name's Sakura." I said politely.

She smiled, just like grandma used too. "It's nice to meet you Sakura, call me Misa. What brings you here?" She asked me and passed me a mug of hot chocolate.

"O-Oh…" My brain halted for a second, "I-I just knew someone who used to live here… a long time ago." I told her and let out a small laugh.

She smiled and sipped her hot chocolate. "Ah, did you hear what happened? Apparently, there was a girl who used to live; I think she was about your age…" Misa started.

"…What happened to her…?" I slowly asked.

"Well…" Misa hesitated, "Her mother died in this very house. Doesn't that frighten you?" She asked, in a haunting voice.

I felt like my stomach was rolling in my throat. "Not really... Do you think her ghost might be wandering in here?" I asked, looking around, as though my mother's ghost was to emerge from the sink faucet.

She scrunched her wrinkly face in concentration. "No, I think she's found peace. I don't see any reason for her to be wandering around here… Besides, the girl's father was also rumored to be sick. Though, they say he's still alive." She told me.

"So you believe in ghosts, Misa-baachan? You think she might have wondered around here if she was in pain or if she was… angry?" I asked.

Misa laughed. "Oh, well we can always imagine! I doubt she'd be angry though, it was no one fault."

She smiled, though carried an apologetic look on her face. "It must be hard for her. They say she was actually a very cheerful girl, and quite pretty too. It's just so unfortunate…" She mumbled and spun her spoon in her hot chocolate.

"Yes. She must feel so… restless." I muttered, and finished the last of my drink. "I think I should leave now. I have to get back to… stuff." I said and stood up. She showed me to the door and watched me walk to my car.

_That doesn't mean you were born to run,  
Either we're vain or we're broken hearted. _

"Get lots of sleep, and eat your vegetables, dear!" She called as I hopped into my car.

_As sure as the stars in the skies above, _

I revved the engine without a word, and I didn't respond to her call either as I drove off, a tear falling down my rosy cheek.

_We're goin' back to the place that we started._

-

-

It seemed like I had driven for days, though I knew it couldn't have been more than an hour. The sky was growing dark; the sun was tired of supplying light for us. I stared at the darkening sky, and was startled by a funny noise erupted from my car.

"Oh god, please not now…" I muttered under my breath. All around me was a grassy field, and the road only had too lanes. There were no lights in sight. All I could see was grass and cement. I turned my car to the side of the road as it slowly used up the last bits of gas. I groaned angrily and got out of my car. I angrily kicked the wheel.

"Stupid piece of junk…" I muttered and gave it another kick. I let out a loud sigh and sat down by the wheel. Why hadn't I brought some money with me? All I had was my nearly empty wallet, my present from Hinata and my keys.

"ARGH!" I yelled and grabbed my pink locks of hair, failing another attempt at ripping them out. I paced around my car hundreds of times, but I couldn't help but feel even angrier. Memories of my meeting with Misa came back into my head.

"Why hadn't I told her it was me?" I asked myself, walking away from the car and into the enormous field of high grass. The grass was so long and tall that it nearly passed my elbows.

I walked very far, so far that my hummer was only the size of my thumb, before I answered my own question.

"Because I wanted to feel **NORMAL**!!" I yelled into the sky.

All I could hear were the crickets singing along. I took in a deep breath, preparing myself.

"I didn't want to be the girl whose life was hell; I just wanted to be in the place of someone in the sidelines! Who will **never** understand my life, who will only be allowed to **wonder** what it's like to have a hard life!!" I continued to yell.

"Why must **I** be the one in the spotlight?!"

"To what **extent** must I **suffer**, and **scream**, and **cry** just feel a bit better?!" I screamed to the sky angrily. I felt my eyes swell up as my tears began to pour again. And my heart began to ache, and my tired body began to suffer.

The cloudless sky looked emptier than ever, even when the stars shined brightest, there was this eerie feeling that I could feel, from so far away. The wind blew hard, biting my skin fiercely.

And then it stopped.

No noise.

No movement.

No feeling.

"Are you even **listening**?!" I screamed for the last time. I felt onto my knees and stared up at the sky silently. I let my eyelids slowly closes over my tired and red eyes. And I drifted off to sleep.

-

-

I mustn't have slept for more than three hours, because it was still dark outside. I suddenly realized what a huge mistake it had been for me to have fallen asleep out side like that. I was covered in snow and was shivering uncontrollably, as if the ground was shaking underneath me. A feeling of dread washed over me.

I let out a huge sneeze and sniffed. I felt my nose running and tried to wipe it with my sleeve, but it was covered in snow. I felt aching pains all over my body, and took off my soaked glove. My fingers were frozen in place and they were as red as blood. The numbness made it seem as though they weren't even there, and my toes felt like they were missing as well, though I knew they were very much there.

I got on my hands and knees, and managed to get up, onto my feet. The numbness was so incredible that I couldn't even stand, and fell back onto my stomach on the ground. I whimpered and shivered even more. I coughed dryly and felt my tears warm my cheeks. "S-Sasuke-kun… H-Hinata…G-Gaa…ra… S-Sai…?" I choked and cough even more.

My conscience was telling me to go to sleep, and peacefully just close my eyes and forget anything, but I fought back with pure will. I knew that if I closed my eyes they might never open again. Just before I could lose consciousness, I heard loud cars honking. Sirens were heard as well; blue and red lights flew over the tall grass.

"Sakura-san…" I heard them call from afar. "Sakura-san…. Are you there…?" They called.

My eyes shot open and, in an attempt to speak, I took in a huge breath, and some snow was sucked into my mouth. I choked on it for a second, but it melted as I coughed it back out loudly. I heard the people running now.

Their footsteps neared me, and for a second, I thought they'd miss my snowy figure on the ground and step right over me. "Sakura!" Gaara and Sasuke voices were heard. "She's over here!" I heard them call everywhere. And the noise became even louder. I suddenly began to miss the quietness that had previously enveloped the field.

Someone's arms turned me over and held me. I felt them whipping off as much snow from my body as they could manage, and wrapped something incredibly warm around me. "G-Gaara?" I mumbled through my numb lips. It was painful even to talk.

"Don't worry, Sakura. Everyone's here." He told me calmly. I could still hear the fear in his voice.

I wished I could jump onto him and hug him forever, but I couldn't move. I was carried onto a moving bed, and the lights flashed everywhere, and everything became too blurry for me to see anything anymore. I felt Gaara's hand slip away from me as I was carried inside a white truck-like vehicle.

_They told me I'd be fine… but just the thought that I could've died there…_

"G-Gaara… where are you?" I panicked. "Gaara?" I choked out. I felt something made of plastic cover my mouth, and suddenly it was easier to breath. My eyelids struggled to keep me awake, and I kept calling for him. "Gaara!" I yelled loudly.

_I could've died just like mother… I could've left just like father…_

"Don't worry, you'll be just fine." A female voice told me. I felt a small pain in my shoulder as someone inserted a drug into me.

_And I never thought…_

My breathing quickened, and I trashed around, trying to find him. "Gaara, where are you?!" I pleaded again, my eyes closed tight.

_That being alone at that moment…_

"Calm down! You'll be okay! Everything is just fine!" The nurses held me down, telling me over and over that I would be fine. I had a bad feeling that something would happen, something big. I couldn't tell whether it was good or bad, I just wanted my brother with me at the moment.

_Would cause me so much pain…_

"Gaara!" I screamed. I stopped trying to struggle against the arms holding me down, I had absolutely no strength left.

_Because I promised mother, and I promised myself…_

"It's okay… Sakura…" I heard someone say as I drifted off again.

_That I would live as a normal person._

…

_That I would never leave my friends or die on them…_

…

_Just like my family had done me._


	13. Chapter 13

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 13:**

I slowly opened my eyes, greeted once again with the despised white walls of the hospital. I realized how irregular my breathing was at the moment, and I knew it was because of the pain in my throat. I had two annoying tubes stuck up my nostrils and had many patches attached to my skin. I heard my heart monitor beeping to the rhythm of my heart.

I realized that my room was completely empty, which I thought was strange. "Hello?" I croaked, my throat aching even more. There was no answer, just the sound of my echo. I looked to my right arm and saw a cable wrapped on it. On the cable was a button, I supposed it was there to call the nurse. I hesitantly pressed the button.

After less than a minute of waiting, a nurse walked in, a sort of notebook in her hand. "Finally awake, Sakura-san?" She asked friendlily and wrote something down in her notebook.

I realized she was writing down what the machines told her. My current heart beat, the flow of my breathing, etcetera.

"A lot of people are outside, waiting to see you." She commented as she finished writing and put her pen behind her ear.

"Are you going to let them inside?" I asked hopefully.

She smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, you're not in stable condition yet. They should be able to see you in an hour or so, so you can rest a little more if you like." She said kindly and but two pills and a glass of water on my table.

"What're those?" I asked curiously.

"You've currently got quite the fever, so if you start to feel a little strange, you can take these." She instructed me, "Call again if there's anything else you'd like." She told me, and smiled one more time before leaving. The door slowly closed behind her as she left.

I let out a deep sigh and looked up to the ticking clock on the wall. It was seven o'clock in the morning, and the lack of natural light bothered me. The room was too clean, too unfamiliar. It even smelled funny.

I decided to forget about my problems, and just sleep, just as the doctor had advised me too. I closed my eyes peacefully.

-

-

"Sakura, what in the hell were you thinking?!"

I put my hands on my face and groaned. Too much noise. Major headache. Gaara looked away and let out a deep breath. I knew he only acted this way because he had been worried, but it was incredibly annoying, but it was nice to hear, all the same.

"Give her a break, Gaara." I heard Sai say calmly.

Gaara sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, his eyes looked the most concerned I had ever seen them. "Sakura, please… promise me you won't do something stupid like that, ever again. It… It hurts to see you in pain." He said quietly.

"Gaara…" I mumbled, feeling incredibly guilty.

Hinata sniffed loudly, a tissue covering her pale face. "W-We really thought you were going to die…" She cried.

I felt my eyes get watery, but managed to hold back my tears. "I-I promise you all… that I'll try my best not to get into any more trouble. If my pain is this contagious, then I'll concentrate on the positive things and try to be happy, just for you guys."

All of their eyes soften, and a pleasant silence filled the room.

"You should've seen Naruto-kun, he looked horrible too." Sai suddenly added.

I scowled at him, and he sent me that annoying fake smile of his. "You really know how to cheer someone up, Sai…" I muttered.

He stopped smiling, and simply stared at me. "Well… Would you like to know about Sasuke-kun?" He asked.

My eyes widened anxiously. "Yes!" I said, trying to sit up.

Gaara pushed me back down. "He's waiting outside, to talk to you." He told me.

Hinata got up, "I'll tell him to come in." She sniffed.

"Umm… wait." I said.

She spun to face me.

"Can I talk to him alone first?" I asked.

My friends nodded their heads and walked out. A few seconds passed before Sasuke walked in, slowly slipping inside, and closing the door behind him.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm so glad to see you!" I said, unable to hold my tears any longer.

He smiled as he walked towards me, and sat down on the side of my bed. "You really know how to scare a guy, don't you, Sakura-chan?" He mumbled. His face looked a bit paler than usual, but the thing he looked the most was glad.

"I'm sorry… You know how I am…" I muttered apologetically. I felt his hand reach my chin, and pulled my head up to face him.

"Next time, try to run somewhere safe. And I've noticed that you tend to fall asleep in the most bizarre places." He smirked.

I blushed and smiled at him. "Yeah, I just tend to drift off. There are only two places where I know I will always be safe from my own pain. The first place is in my sleep… and…" I paused.

He looked at me expectantly. "And…?" He asked.

"And, the second place… is with someone I'm close too. Like Gaara, or Hinata, or Sai, or Naruto… or **you**." I said, another tear slipping away from my grasp. I felt my bottom lip quiver and tremble.

He leaned towards me, and wrapped his arms around me.

I hugged him back, finally feeling like I was in my safe haven again. I knew this was the time to say it. I felt it was finally okay.

"**I love you, Sasuke-kun.**"

He was silent for a moment, and I hugged him tighter, unconsciously, hoping he would say the same thing. "S-Sakura-chan…" He started.

I felt my heart drop. He was hesitating, he wasn't sure. I held my breath and bit my lip as hard as I could. He was going to say it, right?

"I love you, too."

It was then and there that my tears began to flow again.

"H-Hey, don't cry!" He suddenly said, releasing me so he could see my face, wet with tears again.

"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun…" I choked, "These are tears of joy." I smiled and looked at my trembling fingers.

"Jeez, Sakura-chan… You cry too much." He teased me.

I pouted and poked him hard on the chest, "Do not!" I laughed.

He kissed my forehead affectionately. "Next time you feel bad, don't run somewhere far away. You have to come to us, Sakura-chan. We care about you, and we just want to try and understand…" He told me.

I nodded my head and smiled as he kissed my forehead again. I turned to him and kissed him back. "Sasuke-kun, I was thinking… I want to-" I was cut off by his lips against mine. I melted from his touch again; he still had such a big affect on me. I forgot about what I had been trying to say for a few seconds, but quickly remembered and finally pushed him away. "Sasuke-kun! I told you not to interrupt me like that!"

He let out a whining sound, but didn't move.

"I-I was thinking that… I wanted to move back in with you." I sighed.

He frowned at me, studying my expression. "Sakura-chan, I think we should wait until this whole Karin thing is solved." He told me.

I gaped at him. "Oh! So _now_ you do?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

He chuckled at my reaction. "I realized that it's better if we wait… You were right."

I crossed my arms and refused to look at him. "Well, maybe I'm right again, I want to move back in with you!"

I knew he was smirking by now. "I already admitted I was wrong once; don't make me do it again." He told me, "I don't like it when I'm wrong."

I finally turned to him and rolled my eyes. "Don't you think I've figured that out by now? You just _love_ to be the one that's right, one wrong move and that's a direct slash through your pride!"

Sasuke laughed out loud, something rare for the boy to do. "But seriously Sakura-chan, don't you think it would be better if we graduated first? High school is almost over anyways…" He said slowly, trying his hardest to convince me.

I let out an aggravated sigh and bit my lip as I thought for a second. I then closed my eyes and shook my head before opening them again. "Fine." I muttered.

He smirked and kissed me again before sliding off the side of my bed. "It's time I get back to class. Love you, Sakura-chan."

-

-

In a few days, I managed to get out of the hospital and start my holiday shopping. I had 2 hours to cram, and the stores were extremely crowded. It was Christmas Eve, what else could I have expected? I managed to squeeze into a electronics store. I could pick up some CDs and movies there… hopefully.

-

Thirty minutes into my scavenging hunt, I had only purchased five things. Normally this would be enough, but I planned on buying presents for everyone at the café. "Ah, a camera for Ino…" I mumbled as I got my hands on a ruby red camera. The LCD screen was huge, and it would cost me a lot, but I really wanted to get some special things for my friends.

-

One hour left to spare. Friends left: Neji, Rock Lee and Sasuke. It was absolute torturous, just sitting on that bench in the middle of the mall; watching everyone buy everything in the store, slowly nailing down their prepared lists, leaving only crumbs behind them.

Er… What to buy Neji? What did Neji like? Was Neji even _capable_ of liking something?? I growled as I walked into a supermarket. Tenten had told me that Neji liked Chinese dumplings. I guess that would do. I bought two huge packs of them and left the store.

Rock Lee was next. I guess I could give him a box of chocolates and a hug… I guess.

And finally… Sasuke. I groaned and paced back and forth. "_All stores will be closing in thirty minutes._" A voice said, coming from the speakers on the high ceiling. I taped my foot. Sasuke would want a… a…. I looked around me.

There was a pet store, seemingly shining before me. I stared, wide eyed, as the last customers left the store, and the owner began closing up. As if in slowly motion, I ran towards the store, yelling.

"_**NOOOOOOOOO!!!**_"

I stopped right in front of the surprised shop keeper, who raised an eyebrow at me. "Umm… yes?" He drawled.

I wheezed and put my hand against the wall, "Please… I have one last thing I need…" I said, "Just… let me buy a…"

-

-

"Finally done your Christmas shopping, Sakura-chan?" Someone asked, putting their hand on my shoulder.

I quickly spun around, nearly dropping my huge load.

"Whoa!" Kiba said, catching a few bags for me.

I sighed in relief. "Thanks, Kiba." I said, nearly breathless. "Your present is in there… somewhere." I said and smiled.

He chuckled and looked inside. He cocked an eyebrow at the raw amount of wrapped boxes. "Don't you think you went a little overboard? You didn't have to buy me a present, too…"

I laughed. "I know I might have exaggerated a little, but it's just a token of my appreciation. You have to cherish what little you have." I said, staring at my presents as we walked towards the office.

He carried a warm smile as we arrived at the delivery room. In our school, there was a special delivery service every holiday, like Christmas or Easter. We dropped off our presents in the room and by the next morning, they were delivered to our recipient's door.

Kiba and I quickly dropped them off, making sure each present had the receiver's name on it. As we checked them, his eyebrows rose at the sight of one particular name. "You got _her_ a present?!" He asked, dumfounded.

I laughed nervously. "W-Well, I think we could've been friends. Besides, I'm probably the only one who'll even bother sending her one…" I mumbled.

He shrugged and put the box in the pile to his left. "I suppose." He said.

Once we finished we walked back to the dorms, thought I kept one particular present with me, one with holes in it. "I don't want to spoil any surprises, but… is there an _animal_ in there?" Kiba asked as he stared at the big box.

"I dunno. You'll have to ask Sasuke-kun once he opens it." I said and winked at him.

He chuckled and shook his head in amusement.

"Thanks for the help, Kiba-kun!" I told him, once we reached the stairs.

"No problem." He told me.

I laughed. "Jeez, Christmas really took its toll on my pockets this year, huh?"

He laughed, "It's your own fault, Sakura-chan!" He said and waved at me, as he walked back to his room. "Tell everyone I said hi!"

"I will!" I giggled as I ran up the stairs.

-

-

"Hey, Hinata! I just dropped off my presents!" I declared when I entered the room. "Kiba says-" I immediately stopped talking and stared at the girl sitting on a chair, in the middle of the room. My eyes widened.

"How nice to meet you, Sakura." The woman said. She had bright purple hair, obviously dyed that way, and heavy mascara around her eyes.

I could sense the dangerous intent to kill emanating from her body.

"Where's Hinata? And Temari?" I asked, looking frantically around the place.

The woman's gaze studied me. "You seem more concerned about them then you are about yourself, dear…"

I frowned. "Answer my question." I said, slowly reached into my pocket for my cell phone with my free hand.

She clearly noticed my hand moving, but didn't make a move. "They're not here. I thought you'd be able to tell just but looking around… They're still shopping. This all worked out so perfectly." She said and smiled devilishly.

I tightened my grip on the phone. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here for you, Sakura." She told me calmly, spinning her finger in her hair.

"Don't call me Sakura!" I yelled at her.

Her calm expression didn't react to my sudden outburst. "Then what shall it be? Sakura-chan? Haruno-san?" She asked.

I flinched. "… You said you were here for me, right?" I asked.

"That's right. Don't make me repeat myself." She said, stiffly staring back at me.

I gulped. "W-Why? Why do you want _me_?" I asked.

"Oh," She said, "I thought it was clear. When I said I wanted you, I meant that I wanted…

**Your head.**"

I dropped the box onto the ground, and nearly toppled over in shock. I felt my heart beat quicken, and the woman stood up.

"I, Senna Konan, have been sent here to wipe out **you**, Haruno Sakura, the last member of the Haruno family."

"N-No…" I whispered desperately.

Why would she want me?

What did I ever do to her?

What did I ever do to _anyone_?

She suddenly rushed towards me, and I didn't even move.

What could I do?

**CLICK**

I gasped and spun my head around.

Hinata walked in through the door. "Hey Sakura!" She said, "Wha-".

She looked at me, her eyes widening.

_Run, Hinata!_

"Sakura… Are you feeling okay?"

"W-What…?" I slowly turned my head. The woman who had almost killed me, Senna Konan, was gone. I felt my breathing slowly stop. My phone made a familiar noise.

A text message?

I opened it up, and tried to read the message, struggling because of my shaking fingers..

_I trust our encounter __will be kept secret…_

_Unless you wish for me to take the heads of your friends as well._

_Be a good girl, Sakura-san._

_I will definitely be back for you. _

_Patience is a virtue._

I frantically deleted the message and threw my phone to my bed.

I didn't realize how much I was shaking until Hinata put her hands firmly on my shoulders and tried to calm me down. "Sakura, you look hysterical!" She gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata!" I said and sobbed into her shirt as I hugged her.

"S-Sakura, what's wrong?!" She asked me, still in shock.

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on formulating words properly. "I-I-I'm just s-so-so scared!" I choked out.

She comforted me and cried with me until Temari arrived, never asking again why I cried, but simply sharing the burden of my pain.

-

-

The next morning was Christmas. I hopped out of my bed and prepared myself for the awaiting day. Outside the school grounds were covered with the whitest snow, and some people were already outside, building snowmen and making snow angels.

I remembered that there were no classes today, and the students were aloud to wear normal clothes instead of the plain uniforms. The only rules on appearance applied on Christmas were that the clothes had to be appropriate, and of the right color; green, red and/or white.

Christmas day was definitely the day that all students cherished. No classes, more fun, and more freedom! Hinata and I grabbed some gingerbread cookies and decided to walk around the school to try and find everyone, while Temari decided to take advantage of the only day where we were free to stay out of our rooms until two o'clock in the morning to take some well deserved rest.

As soon as we opened the door, we noticed the presents waiting for us. "I almost forgot!" Hinata exclaimed.

I hadn't. I was just too busy thinking about yesterday's events. I lazily grabbed some presents and brought them inside. "We can open them later." I said; my voice still a little shaky.

Hinata looked at me nervously. "Oh… alright."

I sighed in relief as we left our dorm room and headed for the foyer. I was glad that Hinata hadn't made a big deal out of it, but it was still painful to see so much worry in her eyes.

And finally I realized that I had broken another promise.

_I felt my eyes get watery, but managed to hold back my tears. "I-I promise you all… that I'll try my best not to get into any more trouble. If my pain is this contagious, then I'll concentrate on the positive things and try to be happy, just for you guys."_

And I turned my gaze to Hinata, who I had caught staring at me.

And I smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 14:**

Hinata and I found Naruto at the vending machine, trying to fool it with fake coins again. "Naruto, it's not gong to work…" Hinata mumbled as he kicked the vending machine one more time.

He finally stopped and put his hands in his pockets, "I was sure it would this time…" He muttered.

Hinata and I laughed, and he crossed his arms, pouting. "Hey look, Gaara and Sai are waiting for us!" Hinata suddenly said, and pointed in their direction.

I followed her lead, and saw them arguing about something. "Hi guys, what's wrong?" I asked quietly.

They weren't slow in noticing my tired look and bored tone, but replied anyway. "Tsunade-sensei just announced that we have to head back to the dorms because something dangerous was wandering around the school. That's unfair! It's Christmas!" Sai whined.

I felt a shiver go up my spine, and had to clench my jaw hard to keep it from clattering.

_Something dangerous?_

The principal, Tsunade, couldn't possibly mean a person. Sai said _something_. But didn't that mean that we didn't know what it was?

Something.

Some_thing_.

Wouldn't that be an object? Like a mouse trap that someone could step on…?

Something is any indefinite or unidentified thing, and can refer to an object, topic, quality, action, event or circumstance….

Not a person. Right?

But if-

"Sakura!" Gaara said loudly.

I quickly snapped out of my daze and glanced at each of their faces.

"You look terrified." Naruto pointed out.

"O-Oh… I was just wondering what it could be." I told them, laughing nervously.

I could see Hinata watching me closely from the corner of my eye, and the others kept eyeing me suspiciously.

"W-Well, I guess we better get to our dorms!" Hinata said, breaking the silence. She quickly grabbed my arm and dragged me back up the stairs before anyone could say anything more.

-

-

Hinata and I arrived back in our room on record time. "I can keep saving you like this, Sakura. You're going to have to tell me what's going on in the end." Hinata said, trying to be firm with me.

It wasn't working though, and I almost burst into an unbeatable fit of giggles.

She frowned. "I'm serious!" She said in her innocent voice.

I smiled and walked to our mini fridge.

She rolled her eyes and was about to follow me there, when she tripped over a familiar big box. "Eep!" he squeaked right before making contact with the ground.

I peeked at her limp body from the fridge door and slowly closed it. "You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She mumbled, finally turning onto her back and picking up the box. "I'm going to go throw this out." She told me, getting up.

I glanced at the box's lid on the ground and realized what box it was. "That's Sasuke's present!" I said, grabbing her shoulder and turning her small body around.

"What…?" She mumbled, showing me the box. "There's nothing inside." She told me, showing me the box.

My eyes must've been as round as saucers, because Hinata was started to look a little frightened.

"Uh… What's wrong?" She asked me.

I was about to run right out of the room, but remembered what Sasuke had told me.

_Next time, try to run somewhere __where it's safe._

I guessed I would be safe with Hinata. Not to mention someone was trying to kill me. She already saved my life once, right?

I grabbed Hinata's arm and ran.

-

-

"Sakura! We'll get in trouble if someone sees us!" Hinata cried, being pulled down the stairs too quickly for her short legs to keep up.

"But they're going to kill Sasuke's present!" I told her once he got to the main floor. I let go of her arm and turned to face her.

She frowned. "Sakura… What was in that box…?" She asked me.

I blushed, feeling quite stupid. "Well… I bought Sasuke a pet." I said.

"W-What kind of pet…?" She asked.

I laughed nervously and pressed my fingers together. "Um… The scaly kind…" I mumbled.

Hinata stared at me, immobile.

"B-But, it was the only thing they had left! I swear I would've bought him a nice little furry thing!" I added quickly. I studied her face; she looked like she really wanted to smack me in the head.

Good thing she was Hinata, she was too nice to do such a thing.

She sighed and shook her head. "Alright, let's go find it, then." She said dejectedly.

I smiled as we started our thorough search for Mr. Scales.

-

-

Hinata followed closely behind me as we sneaked past the teacher's office. I spotted Tsunade down the hall and quickly stopped, causing Hinata to bump into me. I turned around to her, "Shhh…" I whispered.

She quickly nodded her head. We both turned back around to watch Tsunade. She was looking around the floor very cautiously, and was holding a knife, ready to kill Mr. Scales.

I gasped. "No! She's going to kill him!" I told Hinata.

"Isn't that a good thing?" She asked.

"Of course not! What could I give Sasuke if I lost him?" I told her.

"Sorry." She apologized.

I turned my head again, "Shoot! She's heading this way!" I hissed.

We both looked around. "Where do we hide? It's just a long hallway!" Hinata panicked.

The only places to hide were the classrooms, but the doors were locked. I pointed to a familiar door only a few steps away. "Let's go in there!" I whispered urgently.

"What?! That's the boys' bathroom!" Hinata squeaked.

Tsunade's footsteps were getting louder and clearer.

We both glanced at each other, "Oh, what the hell!" I said and ran with her inside. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a disgusting smell and dirty looking… everything.

"Ew." Hinata whispered quietly.

I giggled opened the door just a bit, so I could peek outside. Tsunade had just passed by the door.

_Phew, safe!_

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Hinata screeched.

… _or not._

I jumped and quickly turned around. When I spotted Hinata, she was pointing at a yellow slithering creature on the ground. "You found him!" I said excitedly. I ran to the snake and picked it up.

"T-That was w-what you were looking f-for?!" Hinata stuttered loudly.

I nodded my head, and was about to speak, when someone burst through the door.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Tsunade yelled, looking around.

She spotted us, staring up at her. "U-Umm… We found it." I mumbled.

She immediately calmed down. "Oh, Okay." She said and walked towards me. "Uh… Isn't that thing poisonous?" She asked me.

"Of course not!" I told her, rubbing Mr. Scales affectionately.

She stared at me blankly. She put her hand on her forehead and let out a huge sigh. "Hand it over." She ordered, holding out her hand.

"B-But it's a Christmas present!" I insisted.

"Pets aren't allowed here, Sakura-chan. You should know that." She told me calmly.

I sighed dejectedly and let Mr. Scales go. "You can return him to the shop." I said miserably.

"Huh? Why would I do that? I'm bringing him home!" She snickered and walked out of the bathroom.

I stood there. Stuck on the spot. I fell to my knees and put my hands in the air, as if reaching towards the grey ceiling.

"MISTER SCAAAAALLLEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!"

-

-

Oh yeah. I didn't have a present for Sasuke. And it was present opening time.

Dang it.

I walked to our storage closet, and stared at the piles of cardboard boxes. I pulled a random one out of the closet and threw it on the ground. There were a bunch of photos of my old dog, Bella, in it. We had to give her away after my dad got into a coma. I rummaged through it, but all I found were leashes and old dog toys. "Darn it…" I groaned. I suddenly heard Hinata enter the room.

"Sakura, everyone's waiting for you outside." I heard Hinata say.

I quickly threw something into the present box and put everything else back into the closet before Hinata could realize what I had been doing. "I'm done!" I announced and picked up the red box wrapped in a pink satin tie.

-

-

We arrived at the school yard and sat down at a bench, where Sasuke, Gaara, Naruto and Sai were waiting. "Sorry for the wait!" I said, putting down the multiple boxes I had under the table. I gave everyone a hug and Sasuke a quick kiss, before sitting down.

"So, how was your day, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked me.

"It was fine," I said quickly, "And, there's no need to call me Sakura-_ chan_, you know! How many times have I asked you to just call me _ Sakura_?" I laughed.

He smiled. "Sorry, I'm just so used to it, I forget."

I turned to Sasuke. "You too, I don't see why you need me to tell you!" I said and smiled.

He smirked and rolled his eyes.

"I want to see Sasuke-teme's present!" Naruto said, grabbing the box and slowly opening it up.

"W-Wait! I don't know what's in there!" I gasped and tried to get the box back from him.

It was too late; he was holding something and was staring at it blankly.

Sasuke blinked. "Is that a dog collar?" He asked.

I gulped. "To tell you the truth-"

I was interrupted by Naruto's hysterical laughter. "Look! It has spikes on it!" He choked through his laughter. He eventually fell off his seat and began rolling on the ground.

I glanced at Sasuke; he was staring at Naruto, speechless.

"S-Sasuke, you know when the first floor went on a mini lockdown?" I quickly asked him.

He turned to me, listening.

"Well, that dangerous _thing_ was your present. I had bought you a pet…" I muttered.

Naruto suddenly stopped laughing and sat up, curious. "A pet?" He asked.

"Yes, that's right." I hissed, "And it got away! I spent a lot of money on it too…" I mumbled the last part.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura!" Hinata blurted out. "I shouldn't have screamed… It's because of me that Tsunade caught us in the boys' bathroom…" She mumbled quietly.

"No!" I said, "It's not your fault, I should have told you what it was and what it looked like first." I insisted.

She still looked a little guilty as she twiddled with her fingers.

"Well, I have to give you your gift." Sasuke said, smirking.

I smiled as he passed me the purple box. I put it up to my ear and was about to shake it when he grabbed my arm.

"Err… Yeah. It'd be better if you didn't shake it."

_Ooh… Now I'm really curious…_

I slowly unwrapped the package and peeked inside. I pulled out a little black box and stared at it. "… Um… What is it?" I asked as I rubbed the soft fabric on the box.

Sasuke chuckled. "You have to open it." He told me, and pointed to the small black box.

I blushed in embarrassment and softly opened it. "Oh, Sasuke…" I whispered and pulled out a diamond heart necklace. I just gaped at it for a few minutes, being brought back to reality by Sai waving hand. "Huh? Oh! Thank you so much Sasuke!" I said and wrapped my arms around him so fast he nearly fell over.

Hinata giggled and poke my side. "You know, you can open it." She told me, taking the necklace from the table and pressing a button. The heart shaped diamond flew open, revealing a pictures of Sasuke and I.

She passed it to me, and I felt as though I would cry again. "T-Thank you… so much, Sasuke." I told him, smiling.

-

-

I went to Sasuke's house for diner that night. It was probably around 8 o'clock when we finished eating and settled down on the couch to watch a movie. I looked through the stack of DVDs while Sasuke prepared the popcorn and fetched some soda. "How about we watch this tonight?" I asked, holding up one of Sasuke's favourite movies.

He approached the television and looked at the title from the back of the couch, slurping his cola. "You sure?" He asked, smirking, "I think it's a little too spooky for you." He teased me.

I pouted. "No way! I can take it; I've gone through much worse!" I insisted.

He rolled his eyes. "So you've seen people walking down the street, nearly decapitated; their neck's cut halfway with blood splurging out and-"

"Okay, Okay!" I quickly said, waving my arms in the air, "No scary movies!" I huffed and crossed my arms.

He grinned and jumped onto the couch; I bounced up high into the air. "Good." He said, convinced.

I landed back on the couch and sighed. "But all your favourites are the scary ones…" I mumbled.

"Pick out something _you_ like, tonight is my treat." He said, crossing his legs and putting my drink on the coffee table.

I beamed and hugged him. "Thanks Sasuke!" I said cheerfully.

He smirked and kissed my cheek.

"Ooh, looks like my plan _worked_."

We immediately let go of each other and spun around.

"YOU!" Sasuke yelled, pointing directly at his brother.

"Me!" Itachi said in delight.

I sweat dropped.

"… How long have you been watching us?" Sasuke demanded.

"Well, well, well... Foolish little brother won't even give me a warm welcome? That's disappointing. How about you, Saky-chan?" He asked.

I quickly hopped off the couch and ran to the man, hugging him. "We definitely missed you!" I squealed excitedly.

Sasuke frowned. "_I_ didn't." He said, but couldn't hold back his smirk. He walked towards his brother, just as Sakura let go of him.

"Great. I feel loved. Now let me check around the house, to make sure Mister Foolish didn't break anything." He suddenly muttered, walking away.

Sasuke watched him disappear into the study before returning his gaze to me. "Jeez, he never changes, does he?" He asked me.

I smiled. "You _did_ miss him, didn't you Sasuke?" I asked.

Sasuke scoffed and walked back to the couch. "Yeah. Right." He muttered.

But I didn't miss that smirk he tried to hide.

-

-

I squealed and fidgeted in my seat. "Oh! This is the part when he-" I started, and found my hands empty.

"Confesses his love, right?" Itachi finished, munching on **my** popcorn.

I rolled my eyes.

"Typical." Sasuke said, yawning.

"These things are way too predictable. How do you stand this stuff…?" Itachi asked.

"It's called _romance_!" I told them, stealing back the popcorn bowl from Itachi. "But, I guess I can't expect you two to know what that is." I teased.

They both frowned.

"Of course we know what it means, we just find it unbearable." Sasuke told me.

"Unlike the simple-minded ones who are interested in this stuff…" Itachi mumbled, stealing back the popcorn bowl.

I elbowed him in the arm. "I am _not_ simple-minded!" I told him.

He chuckled and kept eating.

I turned my head to my left, staring deeply into Sasuke's eyes. "Besides, you've been pretty romantic sometimes, Sasuke." I barely said.

Itachi's eyebrows quirked up immediately and he eyed Sasuke and I suspiciously. "I've missed a lot when I was away, I see." He noted, frowning at us.

I beamed innocently. "I don't ever plan on telling you the details, but I'm sure you'll hear all about it at the Café." I giggled.

He pressed his lips together, concentrating. "Actually," he began, "Neji informed about a few little things…"

I felt Sasuke stiffen slightly, but otherwise didn't make a single movement or sound. I sighed as I recalled something from long ago. "Well… I guess I beat that girl." I said, smiling again.

"Hm? What girl?" Itachi asked.

I giggled. "Oh, you know." I said, waving my hand.

He frowned. "N-No, tell me. I seriously have no idea what you're-"

"The girl you were trying to set Sasuke up with!" I hissed, tapping his shoulder.

He suddenly looked as though he could break into a fit of laughter, and struggled to say, "You're so slow, Sakura-chan," he said in a muffled voice, his mouth covered by his hand.

I cocked my head to the side. "Huh?" I asked.

"That girl was _you_!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 15:**

"… Me?" I asked, gaping at Itachi.

"Hn." Sasuke said, meaning I was correct.

I turned to Sasuke. "I-I thought… But that means… I was competing against myself?!" I asked.

Sasuke chuckled. "Yeah, that's right, Sakura." He said and smirked at me.

I blushed and looked down to the couch. "God, I feel really stupid right now." I said and put my hand against my heated forehead.

-

-

I said, "You think so?"

"Yes, I'm positive. You'll _love _it. You'll _love_ it so much that… That you'll buy it right on the spot!" Hinata said excitedly, holding my arm tightly and shaking it.

I sighed and looked around the small dorm room. I might have felt a little claustrophobic in it at times, but it was still a cozy place to stay. The New Year had just started again, and we still had a few days left of vacation. Hinata had been hinting at a big surprise, but hadn't told me any details until now. It sounded quite exciting, so I decided to let her win, this time. "Alright, we'll go check it out, then." I told her.

She beamed and clapped her hands as she jumped up. "Alright!" She said, running to get a note.

I stretched my legs out and shook a bottle of nail polish. "So… When exactly are we going to see this _awesome_ condo?" I asked, opening the bottle.

"Umm…" She checked her watch, "Right about now."

My jaw dropped. "You had already made an appointment in advance?" I asked. A drop of nail polish dropped onto the carpet.

She quickly stepped back and dug her toe into the ground. "W-Well…" She started, blushing, "I had a feeling you'd want to… Sometimes at night I see you staring off into space, it's as if you're getting annoyed with this place." She explained.

I frowned. "Hinata, I'm not annoyed with this place." I assured her.

She put on a silly smile. "You'd just rather be with Sasuke-kun!" She teased me.

I smiled, Hinata knew me too well.

-

-

"They said they had a model condo on the top floor. We're still a little early so I think you can check it out." Hinata told me.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked.

She smiled. "I'll wait here for the owner to arrive. Besides, I already saw it. I'm sure you'll love it! So much that…" She said.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll _love_ it so much that I'll buy it on the spot, right?" I asked.

She grinned, giving me a clear view of her pearly white teeth.

I turned around and walked towards the elevator, pressing the button. Everything seemed nice and clean so far. I looked up, and was informed that the elevator had just passed the third floor. As it continued downwards, I turned to Hinata, who gave me a thumbs-up.

The elevator door opened, and I walked in. I pressed the highest button and leaned against the elevator wall. There was a man beside me, but I hadn't even glanced at him.

"Hey." He suddenly said.

I did a double-take. Was he talking to me? He wasn't looking at me; he was just staring at the elevator door. I could only see one side of his face. "Uh… Hey." I mumbled.

"How was your day?" He asked, still not looking at me.

I gulped. "I-It was fine." I said quietly, holding my purse tightly, in case he was dangerous.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asked seductively.

Okay, this was really started to creep me out. Who the hell was this guy?! "That's none of your business!" I said, quite loudly.

Suddenly, his expression turned sour as he turned his head to me.

I nearly fainted, he was holding a cell phone in his hand, and I hadn't seen it because of his position.

"Do you _mind_?" He hissed.

I felt my face heat up and I couldn't close my mouth. I just kept gaping at him, like a dead fish. Finally, I shook my head, a fish coming back to life. "I-I-I'm so s-sorry!" I stuttered, waving my hands in front of me. I fidgeted on the spot, not sure whether to laugh or be embarrassed.

He kissed his teeth in annoyance and shook his head. Muttering something like, "_Kids…_"

The elevator suddenly stopped. The door opened. He walked out without looking at me. As soon as the door closed, I made my decision. I fell onto the floor, gasping my way through an amazingly long fit of laugher.

-

-

I let out a huge breath as I walked down the hall, my lips pressed tightly to avoid any more unnecessary laughter. My sneakers tapped lightly against the marble tile floor as I arrived at the right door.

I bit my lip and walked into the door slowly. The walls were painted in a warm beige color, with white ceilings. The white crown moulding and nicely finished hardwood floors were dazzling, to my unsuspecting eyes. I tried not to get ahead of myself, and walked towards the living room calmly.

The high ceilings were definitely something to gape at, but it didn't compare to massive size of the room. I immediately noticed the open kitchen, straight ahead. The granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, definitely new ones at that, and the well polished cabinets were definitely something to admire. In fact, it reminded me of Sasuke's home, always so clean and perfect.

Hinata was right, I had fallen in love with the place, but one fearful thought just wouldn't leave my mind.

The cost.

I sighed. Typical Hinata was probably bribing the owner with her wads of cash, telling him she would pay for the whole thing, right now. And I thought Sasuke spoiled me too much. That damned car he bought me was beginning to be something to hate. It was greedy for gas and someone had stolen my stereo and airbag when I left it in that snow storm.

I shuddered at the thought of living in such a big place by myself. Not once had I ever lived by myself, and it definitely didn't look like such an inviting position. All alone in a big, big place couldn't possibly be healthy for me. The bathroom was miles away and if I ever chopped off my hand in the kitchen during an attempt at making a decent meal, I'd die of blood loss before I reached the phone.

I sighed.

I just couldn't imagine how disappointed Hinata would be though, if I had doubts about the place. I'd just have to come up with a really good lie, though she'd probably see right through it…

"Hello, Sakura." A haunting voice called.

I jumped in surprise, and looked around frantically. "Who is it?" I asked, though I had a pretty accurate guess in my head. No one answered, but I didn't bother looking for them anymore. I decided to stand still and wait.

"You shouldn't be all by yourself like this, you know." The voice chuckled.

I found myself inhaling quickly, realizing I hadn't been breathing for a while. I put my hand to my chest and felt my heart pumping as fast as that of an old man who had just run a marathon. "I-I know…" I whispered very quietly, but coherently.

"This is beginning to get amusing, oh dear… I shouldn't bee playing with you like this, it's against my orders." The voice admitted, echoing throughout the room clearly.

"… Your _orders_?" I choked out, my throat suddenly dry. "Why are you telling me this…?" I whispered.

The voice chuckled once more. "Yes, that's right… Would you like to hear a little story?" She ignored my latter question, and continued before I could speak again, "Around five – no, it's been six years now, your mother fell ill. Correct, am I not?" She told me.

I nodded my head quickly.

"You see, my orders came from someone who was very… _close_ to your mother." The voice explained, "In fact this person was very, let's say… infatuated with her. Though he had never spoken to her in years, he simply watched her, as if she has a little experiment of his, slowly aging under his perceptive and watchful eyes."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "I don't understand what you mean!" I said loudly.

The voice sighed impatiently. "Your mother always had a secret admirer, so to speak…"

I paused. "A **stalker?**" I asked.

"Good, now you're catching on." I heard them chuckle, "When your mother fell ill he didn't understand why, he thought it was unfair for her to be the only one to suffer…"

My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Now, now, listen carefully. I'll only say this only once." They said slowly.

I waited patiently for them to continue, but the voice didn't reappear. "Hello?" I called. "Wait!" I shouted and ran around, looking frantically around. "Don't leave! I want to know what's happening! I don't understand!!" I shouted, tears sliding down my cheeks.

I heard footsteps behind me and whipped around. "S-Sakura?" A small voice asked.

I stood frozen on the spot as Hinata walked into view. "Hinata…" I mumbled. I quickly wiped away my tears before she could notice.

"What are you yelling at?" She asked me as she slowly approached, looking around the spacious room cautiously.

A small echoing laugh was heard, it sounded as though it were far away.

"Was that you laughing, Sakura?" Hinata asked in a frightened voice, stopping abruptly beside me and staring into my emerald orbs. "Eh?" She squeaked as I suddenly grabbed her arm and ran towards the exit.

We ran to the elevator - well, _I_ ran, and she kind of flew - and I quickly pressed the button.

"Sakura, what's going on?" She asked me.

The hall was very silent, only the sound of our breathing was heard. A clicking noise made my head swing so fast, I had whiplash. With wide eyes and an aching neck, I studied the source of the noise, Hinata had merely dropped her keys.

She quickly noticed my fearful look and frowned in worry. "Sakura, are you okay?" She asked me, holding my hand in hers and looking me in the eye again.

I wanted to tell her, but I knew I couldn't get her into such a big problem. Then again, Hinata had many bodyguards that were more than ready to protect her… I sighed and, before Hinata could say anything more, the elevator door opened.

My breathing slowed down in relief; the elevator was empty. We walked in, Hinata still confused, and I pressed the button for the lobby. My back slid against the wall as I slowly fell to the ground.

Hinata kneeled down beside me as the elevator lowered, her hand on my shoulder, and was still looking horrified and confused. "Sakura, tell me what the hell is going on!" She said rather loudly.

I pressed my lips into a straight line and put my head between my knees, wrapping my arms around myself. "I'm sorry, I can't get you involved in anything..." I mumbled.

There was a short paused before I continued.

"Let's talk about something else… Distract me with something, please." I begged her.

She removed her shaky hand from my cold shoulder and stood up. "Well… It's your birthday soon." She said in a forced cheerful voice. "Sasuke and I are deciding whether or not to plan you something really big. Would you like something big or something small?" She turned her head and asked me.

I pondered for a moment. "How would you describe medium?" I asked with a half-smile on my hidden face.

Hinata seemed relieved that I had answered her, and the atmosphere began to feel a little less tense. "Hmm…. I would say it's roughly half way between big or small." She joked.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Are we almost there?" I asked. I lifted my head too quickly, and got a little dizzy.

Hinata glance up. "Yeah, come on." She said and helped me get up.

I stumbled a bit, before gaining my balance, and looked down to my feet.

Hinata stood calmly beside me, waiting for the elevator to stop.

"H-Hinata?" I asked.

She turned to me, her eyes and expression unreadable.

I felt my heart ache, knowing that I was the one causing her so much distress. "Thank you." I said.

The book of her eyes opened, and in it I read her sadness and pain. The ink was no longer smudged; I could finally read.

-

-

The following day was a Monday, and by five o'clock, I had to head to work. My unpleasant mood wasn't making me anymore excited than usual, but Sasuke had offered to drive me there, so I had started feeling much better. When his car parked in front of the sidewalk, I ran out of school, having decided not to wait out in the cold, and jumped into his warm car.

"Thanks Sasuke," I said and smiled.

"No problem." He said, and put his foot on the pedal.

I let him hold my hand in his as he drove with the other. "Hinata and I went to see a nice condo I could move into." I informed him.

He grip tightened involuntarily, he had already heard about the whole incident. When he had asked yesterday, I wouldn't tell him what exactly had happened before Hinata arrived. "Hn." He barely mumbled.

I looked down to my lap, where I had put my bag. "I'm sorry." I told him.

His grip seemed to loosen, only to tighten again. "Why didn't you tell her what happened Sakura?" He asked me, but it sounded more like: "_Why didn't you tell me what happened, Sakura?_"

I sighed and looked out the window. "Nothing happened." I lied, my hand cupping my cheek, and my elbow against the bottom of the window sill.

He let out a deep breath, turning onto another road. I glanced at my hand. He was gently massaging it, trying to relieve both of our stress. I then looked up to his face, he looked distracted. Soon, though, we arrived at the Konoha Café. He opened the door for me, and we walked inside, hand in hand.

We had entered from the back, and Itachi noticed us coming in rather quickly. "Good, you're here." He said. With Itachi back everything was fast paced again. The customers flew in and out constantly, yet we still managed to keep some consistent order in crowded kitchen.

Today it was my duty to take orders, along with Ino and Neji. It was definitely weird, having to talk to Neji, but I eventually got over my embarrassment. Ino was singing quietly as she listened to her music, headphones blasting with sound.

The customers had to repeat what they asked of her often, but she was quick at the job, "What would you like, sir?" She asked the chubby boy in front of her.

I yanked out one of her headphones so she could hear, she winced.

"Umm…" He mumbled, thinking, "Can I get a hot fudge sundae?" He asked, in a small, sweet voice.

She smiled and pressed some buttons on the cash register. "Of course," She told him, "Would you like some peanuts on that?" She asked him.

He pondered for a moment and shook his head no.

"Anything else?" She asked again.

He shook his head once more.

"Okay…" She mumbled as she pressed more buttons. "That'll be one dollar and seventy-five cents." She told him.

He rubbed his nose and reached into his pocket, pulling out some coins. He dumped them on the counter and waited patiently as Ino counted them.

I had to stop staring at the two, for a costumer had arrived. I felt my muscles tense, and my jaw was tight as I spoke. "What would you like today?" I asked in annoyance.

The girl standing before me, whose wild red hair was unkempt on one side and well combed on the other, smiled.

I was waiting for her answer, when a painful scream was suddenly heard. I jumped whilst Ino had hardly heard through her loud music and Neji looked around cautiously. Sasuke soon joined us from the kitchen, tomato smudged on his cheek.

"Did I just hear someone scream or was that my imagination?" Ino asked, looking around.

"What the hell was that…?" Neji and Sasuke muttered in unison.

Itachi suddenly appeared from the kitchen and began asking everyone to calm down. He quickly succeeded in calming the crowd. "Alright, what's going on?" He then asked loudly, everyone listened attentively.

One frightened little girl pointed to table 13, where a young woman with a large stomach was sitting on the floor, gasping for air. "She tolded us that she gonna' have a baby!" The tiny toddler announced.

I turned to look at Itachi, and his look was completely hysterical. I put my hand over my mouth, to try not to laugh, as he gaped at the woman.

He heard me giggle and quickly regained his composure before turning to me and putting his hands on my shoulders. "Sakura, I'm putting you in charge." He suddenly said.

"_W-What?!_" I yelled, but he was already running back to his office.

Ino, who had finally turned off her music, stared at me incredulously. "Well, what are we going to do, boss?" She asked.

I heard Karin snickering in front of me.


	16. Chapter 16

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 16:**

"U-Umm… Okay, everyone stay calm!" I said loudly as I pushed through the thickening crowd. "Someone call an ambulance!" I called, finally arriving at the center. I kneeled down beside the woman, and held her hand.

"I-I can't wait any longer, this baby's going to come out!!" She woman screeched, her hand squeezing mine.

I squinted at the noise, and shuddered at her words. I was in _no_ position to help this lady give birth. The first time this had happened was when I was at Hinata's house when we were five and a half years old, and her mother was pregnant with Hinata's little sister, Hanabi. We got to be her stress balls. And mind you, she was stronger than she looked.

Tenten suddenly appeared and kneeled down next to me. "So… what's the plan?" She asked me.

I froze on the spot. "T-The plan… right…" I muttered. I opened my mouth wide in a muted scream as I felt my fingers cripple under her grasp. "Okay. L-Look," I said through clenched teeth, "Call an ambulance for me, get a blanket for her to lie on, and get her some cold water. Oh- Add a s-s-stress ball to that." I squeaked as she tightened her grip even more.

Tenten dashed away, leaving me all alone beside the hyperventilating woman. "I'm going to need you to calm down, alright? Everything's going to be fine. Everything's going to be _fine_." I said quietly, remembering what they always said in the TV shows. Though it was more to myself than to her.

In a second though, Tenten was back, holding the things I had asked for. She slowly removed my hand and replaced it with the stress ball, and looked up at me, seeming confused. "What's the number for the ambulance, again?" She asked me, looking a little anxious.

I smacked a hand on my forehead, and let it slide down my face. "Tenten-chan, don't blank out on me!" I said. I grumbled as I folded a wet towel and put it on the woman's head. "I'll do it." I said, and took out my cell phone.

Sasuke appeared beside me, spinning my car keys around his finger. He held my wrist, stopping me from dialling the number. "I think if we drive fast enough we can make it to a hospital." He told me, holding my phone and dropping the keys into my hand.

I thought about this for a second, and then frowned. "I am _not_ going to let some stranger give birth in my car, Sasuke." I deadpanned, taking back my cell phone and putting in my pocket. "Why my car anyway?" I asked, completely ignoring the screams coming from behind me.

"Sakura, your car is the biggest one in the parking lot…. Besides the Itachi's huge truck 'that shall only be driven by he himself'. So, unless you want to watch this lady give birth here on the floor, in front of all our customers, we have to go. Now." He told me.

I finally gave in and watched as three of the boys carried the woman to my car, outside. I followed the others all alone in the café. Sasuke tagged along.

-

-

I tapped my foot impatiently as we were exiled into the waiting room. I was with Sasuke, Rock Lee, Neji and Kiba. Rock Lee blabbed on endlessly to me in my bleeding ears, sitting at my left. To my right, Sasuke keep letting out exasperated sighs that were nearly inaudible. Kiba was sitting on the row of chairs facing us watching the TV over our heads, and Neji just sat calmly, waiting.

"Lee." I interrupted the dark haired boy, who flinched as I spoke, stopping his story mid-sentence, and blinked at me curiously. "Can you go sit beside Neji so I can lay out my legs here?" I asked.

A scream was heard from the delivery room.

He didn't even ponder before he spoke. "Sure, Sakura-san!" He said politely, quickly hopping to his feet and sitting down where I had asked him.

I sighed in relief and put my legs on the chair he had just been sitting on, and leaned against Sasuke's arm. I closed my eyes and waited for him to continue his story, but after a few seconds, he didn't.

Sasuke shifted a bit, "Sakura, look." He said quietly, almost in a whisper.

"Huh?" I said as I opened my eyes and immediately noticed what he meant. A nurse had opened the door and inside the room, we could see the woman cradling her baby in her arms, the baby's father stood beside her. I gaped at them. They looked so happy, it looked impossible for anyone to be so joyful, after just one moment. I wanted to cry, I wanted to show them how happy I was too, but the tears wouldn't come, and this, I thought, made it clear that I could never be that happy. I couldn't stop staring dreamily, and Sasuke had to jab my side to throw me back into reality, which consequently made me yelp.

"Sasuke, that hurt!" I whined, rubbing my injury while I pouted at him.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, dragging me into the room, where Kiba, Neji and Lee had already arrived. He led me right to the bed's edge, where I stared into the baby's eyes, not realizing as I squeezed his hand tightly with my own.

"It's a girl," She announced proudly, kissing her baby's forehead affectionately.

I found myself smiling without my notice, and felt Sasuke's hand squeeze mine in return. "What's her name?" I asked, leaning it to notice that the baby's eyes were a beautiful sky blue.

The woman looked surprised at the question and looked down to her cute little girl again. "Well…" She looked up to the man standing beside her, most likely her husband, before turning to me again, "We haven't decided. We thought we'd be able to figure it out the moment we saw her, but… I just can't think of a good name."

I looked at the girl, and furrowed my brows. "Skye." I said, smiling as I leaned back.

The woman looked at me strangely, "… Sky?" She asked.

Everyone turned to me, giving me curious stares. "Skye, with an 'e' at the end." I said.

"…But, what…?" She asked, still confused.

"Her name," I said, "Her name should be Skye." I said, glancing to the husband and wife before I looked at the baby once more.

She pondered for a moment. "Skye," She repeated, "Her name should be Skye." She said again.

I nodded my head quickly.

Finally, they glanced at each other and smiled. "Skye," She said again, "Skye will be her name." She concluded.

I felt myself beaming.

-

-

We drove in silence back to the Café, which was probably in mid-disaster mode by now. "I've got to say, you've got some skills, Sakura-chan." Kiba congratulated me.

I looked up to my mirror, seeing his reflection in it. "Huh?" I asked.

"You just came up with a name like," He snapped his fingers, "that." He said. "Skye. That's a perfect name. I would have never thought of it."

I smiled at his words of praise, I couldn't help it. "Thanks," I said.

Sasuke, who had insisted on driving the way back, spun the wheel as we got into our parking spot. We hopped out of the car, and as we walked inside from the back entrance, I noticed Itachi organising paperwork on his desk. "Aren't you supposed to be out front?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow.

Itachi looked up in surprise, having just realized our quiet entry. "Ah, I left Ino in charge, everything should be fine." He said, looking back down as he quickly slipped some papers in the farthest folder to his right. "I'll be out there in a second; I just have some important work to do." He finished.

I looked down at his desk as Kiba, Neji and Lee walked out to the kitchen to start working. I frowned at a few scattered red and pink cards in his recycle bin. "What's all this?" I asked inquisitively, Sasuke following my gaze and staring now as well.

Itachi looked up curiously to see us digging into his useless paper. He scowled at us, "Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked flatly.

"Oh my," I said, "Are these all Valentine Cards?" I asked. Opening one up and reading the words in perfect cursive letters.

"There aren't that much." He said, "It's just about the same as last year." He informed us.

I shook my head at this news. "I knew there was something going on lately." I said. "Oh, right! Matchmaking was pretty fun this year…" I said with a finger on my chin as I pondered this for a moment.

Sasuke and Itachi both looked at me. "… Matchmaking?" They asked curiously.

I smiled, "Yep, that's right. Hinata and I do it together every year. It's just about the only after-school activity we've done." I told them.

"You mean, there's a matchmaking _club_?" Itachi asked, frowning.

"Yes, there is, actually. And thank god that, this year, they didn't try their little experiments on _me_." I said, muttering the last part.

Some rectangular papers Itachi was arranging fell onto the ground. When I leaned down to pick them up, and reached for one, Sasuke grabbed my hand. "Here, I'll take it." He said, quickly picking them up and handing them to Itachi.

It was then that I knew the two were hiding something.

-

-

"I've got popcorn!" Naruto announced. It was movie night again, but this time I had decided to gather up people in our dorm room, instead of Sasuke's house (actually, he had flatly refused to let anyone but me in there, his loss). Naruto dumped numerous bags of popcorn in the numerous bowls, earning numerous smiles from the numerous people.

On the contrary, we had only managed to group up Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, and Tenten. Temari has absent again, Gaara had boxing to go to, and Sai had gone out on a date that night (gasp!).

Ino quickly put the DVD in the player and return to sit between Tenten and I, at my left. Sasuke, who sat on my right, pressed the play button on the remote before setting it aside. We had all agreed to watch an action movie, since we had watched a horror movie previously. As Tenten turned off the lights and everyone got comfortable, I leaned onto Sasuke's arm again. I felt his arm wrap instinctively around my waist, and in the darkness of the room, I felt myself blush.

Throughout the first 5 minutes of the movie, it was hard to concentrate, and my eyes kept wandering to his warm hands. During one scene, where a character had whispered something, he had asked me, "What did she say?"

I felt alarmed by his question, and kind of shrugged, "Um. I dunno." I admitted. He chuckled and kissed my forehead affectionately, reminding me of the way Skye had been kissed by her mother. I suddenly felt relief swim through my body, and put my head down on his shoulder and my hand on his chest.

Sitting against the wall to the right, I saw Naruto grinning sheepishly at us as he held hands with Hinata, who was absorbed into the movie. Sasuke shot him a funny look and, before long, Naruto was focused on watching the movie again.

After 30 minutes, we were all absorbed, watching the action scene with utmost interest. The main character, a man named Davis, jump kicked his enemy unrealistically, pausing in the air as the camera spun around the two before Davis knocked his opponent off of the train they had been battling on.

The defeated man flew far before landing on the train tracks with a sickening crunch. "Ooh…" Hinata squinted and cowered a little when she saw the man's knee bending the wrong way, and looked away when the camera zoomed into his head wound, which bled grossly. I smiled as Naruto turned to look at her, telling her when the camera had moved away. Hinata was never one to stand gory scenes.

Soon though, the movie was over, and it was just a few minutes before curfew. Ino yawned and Tenten stretched as they stood up. "It's a long walk back to our dorms, so we're going to leave now. See you guys tomorrow?" Ino asked.

I nodded my head, and with that, they left. I sat straight as Naruto went to turn on the light, and stretched as well. "What'd you guys think of the movie?" I asked as I stifled a yawn.

Hinata smiled, though she looked a little pale after having watched the violent ending. "It was pretty good, actually." She said, "I'm disappointed, though. The blond should've ended up with Davis, not the brunette." She said, shaking her head.

I giggled, and Naruto got back to his seat next to Hinata. "Yeah, you're right. The brunette looked like a hawk." I said.

Naruto cupped his mouth and went, "Kaw!" like a crow. Hinata and I laughed, Sasuke chuckled. Naruto suddenly put on a surprised look, and turned to Hinata. "Oh! I wanted to show you my new rock, Hinata!" He said. Naruto collected minerals, something unexpected of him. "It's like… peelable!" He said. He never knew the names, so he made them up himself. There were some named bizarre names like "Thing", "Crackly" and now "Peelable".

"That's not a word, Naruto." Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto rolled his eyes dramatically. "It is now!" He said.

Sasuke scoffed.

"Anyway, I'll bring Hinata right back, so don't worry," he told me, "Come on, let's go." He said to Hinata before dragging her out of the room.

I blinked at how fast they had left, obviously in a hurry to get back before curfew. I looked at my watch, they had eight minutes. I was about to open my mouth to tell Sasuke I wanted to sleep, and I found his face much closer to mine than it had been a few seconds ago. I knew better than to speak now, he'd just interrupt me like he always did.

Instead he just waited. He _wanted_ to interrupt me. He _lurved_ it. He smirked, as though reading my thoughts, and I scowled back at him. I opened my mouth, to experiment. He flinched. "HA!" I said, pointing to him acutely, and he looked surprised for a second. "I knew it! You just wanted to in-" I was interrupted once more by his lips.

Why did I try?

I let myself get hypnotized by him once more, and didn't even notice Temari standing at the door until she made a loud noise. Temari had cleared her throat loudly, and I was surprised to see that Sasuke hadn't even jumped up in surprise, as though he had known she was there the whole time. He slowly pulled away from me and looked at Temari curiously, waiting as if she was ready to ask him a question.

She sighed and shook her head. We watched as she walked to her drawer, her back facing us, and took out some clean clothes. "I'll be out of the shower in about 10 minutes. Take your time." She snickered, and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

I just stared at Sasuke curiously, and he returned the stare. He didn't move an inch. Ah, right. I had to say something, right? "Are you -" I started, and was interrupted again.

-

-

I hummed one of my favourite tunes as I walked towards the cafeteria with Gaara. Classes had picked up again, and everyone was still a little exhausted from having to wake up early that morning. Yet, Gaara looked the same as usual, always carrying that same expression that scared just about everyone in his range of sight.

I had never thought about it much before, but Gaara was a very handsome boy. I just wondered who I could pare him up with for Valentine's Day, which was fast approaching. Sai had already gone around, trying to pick out someone before it was too late. But, as usual, Gaara would always avoid the subject, saying it wasn't important.

I sighed in exasperation, I knew Gaara didn't want anyone to think of him as a softie, it would ruin his reputation. He turned to me, cocking an eyebrow. "What evil plans are failing now?" He asked me.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he just shook his head in disapproval. "How come every Valentine's Day you're like that?" I asked, rubbing my temples in irritation.

He seemed a little surprised by my question, but answered none the less. "I already told you, I don't have time for this stuff." He said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"But… But Teddy!" I whined, grabbing his arm and shaking it a little.

He sighed. "People are staring at you, you know." He said, glancing to his right, then his left.

I frowned. "No, they're staring at you." I countered, looking around as well.

He rolled his eyes. "Same difference." He muttered.

"What?" I asked. We were interrupted when Sai bashed us both from behind, Gaara had taken one step forward, but I was pushed forward by a few feet, nearly falling over when I tried to stop. "What the hell?!" I said as I spun around.

"Sorry about that, had trouble stopping." He lied, putting on a fake smile.

I rolled my eyes, and rubbed my butt. "Your stupid pencil poked me." I said, looking down at his fountain pen.

"Oh, this?" He said, holding it up, fake smile disappearing now. "I was doing Sudoku with it. Have you ever played Sudoku?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "No, but I see Hinata doing it all the time. Is it really that addictive?" I asked, walking back to him, earning even more quizzical stares.

"Yeah, it is, but some are really hard so I never finish them." He said, handing me a little book with some puzzles in them; he had probably gotten it at the dollar store. I took it in my hands as we entered the cafeteria and flipped through the book, which was already half filled up. Some were unfinished, as he'd told me.

As I shuffled through the pages I bumped into someone who had been standing in front of me, dropping Sai's Sudoku book on the ground as I tattered backwards. Sai picked it up for me. "Oh, sorry!" I said, and noticed it was Hinata.

She turned around and smiled at us. "Hi," she greeted us. She then looked behind me and gasped, noticing Sai's book in his hands and quickly grabbing for it.

"No." He said firmly, holding it up.

Hinata tried numerous attempts to get it, but she was just too short.

Sai glared at her. "Last time I let you see my Sudoku puzzles you gave it back the next day, and it was completely filled up." He said monotonously, frowning at her.

She sighed and pouted as we slipped, one by one, between two over-populated tables. I sat down at our round table first, and was then followed by Hinata, then Gaara and Sai. I took off my bag and put on the ground in front of my feet. After a few seconds of searching into my bag, I noticed that Sai was staring at me. "What?" I asked, frowning, just a little.

He blinked a few times, and then slowly formed a smile. "Oh, nothing." He finally said.

I let out a breath that I hadn't even known I'd been holding in and rolled my eyes. "Whatever." There was no point in arguing with the boy.

Gaara got up and walked off, to buy his lunch. I sighed and kept searching for what I was looking for. I let out another aggravated sigh and turned to Hinata. "Did I leave my cafeteria pass back at our room?" I asked her.

She got in her thinking pose; thumb and fingers on chin, eyes looking up to the ceiling. It was too cute. "Oh," She suddenly said, pointing her thumb behind her, "Gaara took it with him." She told me.

I nodded my head and leaned back in my chair. Another question sailed through my mind. Where was Sasuke? I leaned back forward and looked around to try and spot him. The cafeteria was absolutely gargantuan in size, so I gave up fast. I let out another sigh. I didn't know why I was feeling so irritable today; I decided to blame it on my lack of sleep.

Gaara was back soon, and with my lunch too. I accepted the slice of pepperoni pizza on the plain white plate, but suddenly I felt bubbly inside- Everyone was staring at me with funny looks. Why were they all smiling at me so…. _intensely_? The next second Hinata was pulling something out of her pocket. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, waiting for her to reveal her little surprise. She quickly flashed a rectangular paper in front of me, and it took a while for it to sink in.

"Plane tickets?" I asked, it wasn't until a few seconds later that I noticed that my voice was faint.

Hinata beamed and nodded her head quickly in excitement. "Yes. That's right." She said.

I blinked and few times and took them in my hands. "These are first class." I said, though I knew I shouldn't have been surprised.

"Of course. Anything for the best of friends." Hinata said, still beaming like mad.

Two tickets. First class. To where, exactly?

Hinata answered my question before I had even opened my mouth. "You always said you wanted to go to Europe someday. These are plane tickets to Switzerland, the land of chocolate." She announced, looking like she'd start drooling any moment just at the thought.

I nearly fell off my chair. "S-Switzerland…? _Chocolate_?!" I stuttered, regained my balance on my chair. Through all my excitement, another question was formed in my mind. And I paused. "Wait…. Why?" I asked.

Hinata's beam turned into a soft smile, and she sat back down, as though she knew I'd ask sooner or later. "Sakura, I know you've been on the edge for a while. I feel as though a vacation is necessary." She answered honestly. "We'll be going during March break, so you'll only miss a few days of work." She told me. The look on my face must have startled her, because she quickly added, "Don't worry, though- Itachi's already been informed."

I let out a deep breath. The questions weren't over though. "Who exactly is 'we'?" I asked. Before Hinata could answer a let out an ear splitting scream- something was on my shoulder. The amount of noise in the cafeteria was cut down by half. I immediately stopped and covered my mouth with my hands. The teachers, who had their own long, rectangular table, shot me scolding looks.

The silence was beginning to get a little eerie.

Finally, someone broke it. "… Holy… **shit**." Sai said, looking both surprised and irritated as he held a fry in his frozen hand.

I just stared at the table, my hand still covering my gaping mouth. I flinched, but didn't scream again, when I heard a familiar voice. "Sakura." Sasuke said softly in my ear.

I felt a shill go down my spine. "Sorry." I said, uncovering my mouth and breaking a smile. The noise slowly rose again and everyone turned back to their lunches. I felt Sasuke's hand move away and turned to look at him, pulling back a chair.

"Boo." Sasuke chuckled sitting down beside me.

I frowned. "Late. Way too late." I said.

He smirked amusingly. "Tell me if I'm wrong but, I believe Hinata was informing you of our trip." He said, stealing a slice of pepperoni from my pizza.

I blinked as realization slapped me across the face. This was what he and Itachi had been hiding, when he had dropped the tickets and Sasuke had insisted on picking them up. "You're coming too?" I asked, clear hopefulness in my voice.

He smiled. "Of course I am. What would I do here all by myself?" He said.

"Get mobbed by hopeless girls." I said, trying to hold in my laugh.

He frowned.

"No, seriously. You'd get mobbed." I said, breaking out in laughter now.


	17. Chapter 17

Miss Trouble Magnet

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 17:**

March Break was fast approaching. I spent most of my days studying, doing homework, going out shopping with Hinata or hanging out with Sasuke, or Gaara… or Sai. Today, I just happened to be with Sai. We were just sitting comfortably on the bleachers outside, watching a soccer match. Sasuke and Naruto were all big fans, so we occasionally joined them at the bleachers. Hinata was absent that day, she had recently caught the stomach flu and had spent the last two days at home. I made a mental note to visit her that afternoon.

Sasuke had Naruto had come as well, but we hadn't seen them since they left to get some drinks. Sai booed when an opposing player injured a boy on our team, along with the crowd. I always wondered how they synchronised all their cheers, boos, hollers, protests, and food throwing so perfectly. Our injured player was helped to the bleachers by another player and the coach, and sat down. I sighed. People were just too competitive these days.

Nonetheless, our team won the match, with a winning goal from Naruto (he had just been walking over to us with the cokes we'd asked for when the ball bonked on his head). The crowd had cheered wildly when he'd "head-butted" the ball right passed the unsuspecting goalie, who had done a double-take. At the moment, Naruto was being carried in the air by the whole team and the happy crowd while all the members of the other team sulked and kicked the grass as they walked off.

Sasuke sat down beside me, watching the confused Naruto being carried around as though he were as light as feather. I shook my head, definitely too competitive. Winning was all they desired, though no one could blame them. I shook off the thought and joined the cheering crowd; I guess that I, too, was competitive.

-

-

I yawned and walked into the girls' change rooms of the Konoha Café, which was also used as our staff only bathroom since there were three bathroom stalls and two sinks inside the small space. After changing, I washed my hands and fixed my hair. I sometimes loathed my hair, and today was one of those days. On most days, I was fine with it; I could say I loved it, even. It all depended on my mood when I woke up in the morning. If I was happy, everything was fine. But if I was a in a bad mood, my hair was somehow always making things worse.

Maybe it was because its bright, happy, colour always clashed with the scowl I occasionally wore on my face. My hair always seemed happy, even when I was angry, or sad, why couldn't it be too? Why couldn't it stop being so bright and shiny for once? It was disconcerting to think about it. I was definitely on the brink of losing my sanity. I groaned.

I decided to stop thinking about it as I walked out of the room, locking my clothes and bag into a locker on the wall. There were around 10 lockers on the change room wall, two rows of 5; there was more than enough for all the girls. With one last look, I felt the room and found myself in the kitchen, which already smelled of cinnamon buns and burgers. It was indeed a weird smell.

Naruto suddenly burst out of the boys' change room, panting, as usual. He was always late because of something or another, and today was the soccer game. I looked down at my watch, then back at him. "Two seconds late, buddy." I said, smiling.

"Darn it!" He said, slapping his leg.

Sasuke, who was already changed and was currently cleaning the floor, looked up to us. "Naruto," He said, "That's the earliest you've been this month. Bravo." He chuckled, leaning onto his mop.

I giggled as Naruto scowled at him. "How do you always get here before me? We both left the field at the _same _time!" He said in exasperation.

I shook my head. "Sasuke has his ways." I said, and winked at said boy, who smirked in return.

Naruto rolled his eyes and stalked off to the freezer room. Sasuke and I both smiled before getting to work.

-

-

I rubbed my eyes as my shift came to an end and I pull out the last pizza of the day, relived that I could finally head home… Well… head back to school.

Honestly, it was better than it sounded.

But, just as I was ready to untie my ponytail and relax as I waited for the pizza to finish, someone called out my name. I turned my head to see none other than Ino, brandishing her grin and long blonde hair. "Yes?" I asked, playing with the hair elastic held around my wrist.

She looked like she was about to say something important, but had forgotten. She paused, then asked "How's it going these days?" She winked profusely.

"… Fine. Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"No!" She suddenly said, slapping my arm, "With…" She lowered her voice, "_Sasuke?_" She asked.

I rubbed my arm and felt myself blush. "Just the usual," I said, "I guess." I added.

She seemed unsatisfied. "_Just as usual_? What the hell, give me something to talk about, woman!" She said.

I blinked. "Well… You were there on Friday, when we watched that movie." I said, shrugging.

"Oh right, that was too cute." She said.

I nodded my head-absentmindedly and glanced at the oven's clock. There was still much time left to be wasted. I suddenly remembered our trip to Switzerland next week. It was so close it was nerve wracking. "I'm going to Europe next week." I blurted out.

Ino's face lit up instantly, her mind already racing. "Where? With who?" She asked.

I couldn't help smiling as I said, "I'm going to Switzerland with Sasuke, Hinata, Sai and Gaara. I think Naruto might come too…" I pondered this as I tapped my chin with a finger.

"Sakura!" Ino gasped.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?" I asked.

"That's not good! Not safe! Should've told me earlier!" She said, stumbling over her words.

"What?" I asked again, pushing myself off of the counter I'd been leaning on.

"Two girls and _four_ boys?! You're bound to get into trouble." She said, wagging her finger at me with a scolding look.

"Ino, I have no idea what you're taking about." I said, shaking my head.

Ino sighed and rolled her eyes. "So clueless, Sakura. God, woman!" She said. I'd noticed Ino's habit of saying 'god, woman' at the end of her sentences whenever she was annoyed, irritated, or exasperated.

Our talk ended as Itachi walked over to us, swinging keys around his finger. "You two are still here?" He asked, carrying his usual scowl.

I blinked in confusion. "Of course, we can't just abandon our customer." I said.

"What customer?" Itachi asked, looking just as confused. He turned to Ino and said, "Didn't Karin tell you to tell Sakura that he left?"

I must have had a shocked expression on my face, because Ino stopped just to turn and look at me.

"Oh, I forgot…" Ino sidetracked, still looking at me with a funny look. "Sakura," she said more clearly, "Are you okay?"

I bit my lip, and looked to the floor, counting the tiles between myself and the oven. "… Karin?" I muttered, staring at the wall.

"Didn't Itachi tell you she came back yesterday? We had a meeting…" Ino stopped, thinking. She frowned, and then smacked her forehead. "I wasn't supposed to mention that, right?" She said quietly, nervously turning her gaze to Itachi.

He glared half-heartedly at her, and then closed his eyes. "Ino, just go home." He sighed.

She smiled apologetically, and put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently, before leaving. Itachi's looming presence reminded me of Sasuke, and I immediately wondered where he was. I hoped he wouldn't take me by surprise again. I looked up, ready to face my boss, only to see him retreating to his office. At first I grew irritated but his lack of explanation, but when he left his office door open, I took it as a sign to follow. I walked cautiously into the open door and closed it behind me.

"Aah, how shall I explain this?" He asked himself.

I slowly approached a chair facing his desk and sat down. The comfortable chair nearly made me forget why I was there. "So…" I started, "How'd she persuade you into doing it?" I asked.

He sighed and put his elbow on his arm chair, setting his chin on his knuckles to hold up his head. "Well…" He started.

"Well?" I asked.

"It's as simple as this." He said, and put both hands together. "We need more workers at the café when you leave for the break, and Karin was one of the only few people who qualified."

I felt the wooden edges of the chair crack in my palms. "Itachi, you can't do this to me." I said, feeling my face heat in anger as I stared at my feet. I heard his chair push backwards and his footsteps approach me.

"Sakura, I thought you were beyond this. I know you've had various disagreements with her, but-"

I shot up; making the chair I had been sitting on fall over. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't call those disagreements. I thought you understood that I didn't ever want to see her again." I hissed, surprising myself with my own fury.

Itachi studied my face with a firm expression. "I'm not going to fire her just because of your selfish desires." He said, and I knew by his tone that I wouldn't be able to change his mind.

"I'm not being selfish…" I muttered.

Itachi scowled. "Yes, you are." He paused. "Now get out, we have nothing left to talk about." He stated, turning around and walking back to his desk.

I hadn't seen Itachi irritated like this with me in a long time. In fact, he had been nice to me since the day I'd once lived in his house. I hadn't realized until now that I'd probably been the only one he'd ever been kind too, with the exception of Sasuke, though that was an on and off thing- Which then reminded me of the way he had dismissed Ino earlier, with utter indifference.

I must have been standing still for a while, expressions changing on my face periodically, because he was now staring at me quizzically. "Okay. I'll be leaving now." I finally said, slowly picking up the chair and dusting it off.

"Sakura," He said, making me stop immediately. I hoped he would apologize, and say he'd been too harsh on me. It was an unrealistic hope, as he said, "I hope this doesn't change your performance on the job." I came to the conclusion that he had nothing to apologize for, he was my boss, it was his job, and he had only been honest with me.

For that I should've been grateful, I hated lies, yet I decided, as I walked out, that I wasn't.

-

-

I had called in sick at work the days following my unnerving confrontation with Itachi, and that night, I was leaving to Switzerland. I was currently packing my belongings with Hinata in our dorm room, and we would leave for the airport within the next hour.

"Hinata," I said, turning to my best friend.

She looked up at me, curiosity in her wide eyes. "Yes?" She asked me.

I stood up, pulling up my baggy sweatpants and tying my shoulder length hair in a pony tail. "I'm just going to go get by book back from… Kiba..." I said, "I won't be long."

Hinata's head didn't move, but her eyes darted to the left. She knew I was lying. "Well…" She paused, "… just promise me something." She said; her eyes cautious.

I nodded my head.

"Please, _please_ don't leave school grounds." She pleaded, "Just… Just stay safe, okay?" She said, waiting. When I didn't answer right away, she added, "Please. For me?"

I sighed, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

She stared at me, waiting.

I said, "I promise."

-

-

I sighed and pulled my pants up again, undoing the knot that held them up, just barely, and tying it again tighter. Satisfied with the baggy mess I wore – courtesy of my mother, who used to jog in the morning in them – and Hinata's cute purple T-shirt – which she doesn't wear anymore, thoroughly convinced that it _must_ be mine (She has a little too many cute T-shirts to remember) – I walked down the hall.

I had no real destination; I had just craved a nice walk in the halls, deciding that I'd earned it after helping Hinata pack all of her cute T-shirts (ha-ha). There was no news on the billboards, I realized as I stopped to check. A door flew open in front of me as I turned away from the billboards, and out of it came to chatting females. One was a very tall brunette that I didn't recognize and the other had red hair and glasses.

_Damn it._

I stopped moving as they stood together, saying something inaudible. I waited, my frame against the wall, waiting for them to choose their direction. Suddenly, Karin took a step towards me, her head still turned to the girl she was speaking with. Once she turned her head she would see me, leaning awkwardly against the wall.

Just when she began taking moving again, the brunette grabbed her arm, whispering something to her and dragging her away. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding, and put my hand to my chest in relief.

I was exaggerating.

I was _totally_ exaggerating.

It was just Karin. Nothing to be afraid of, right?

"Yo."

I nearly screeched as I jumped up and nearly fell over, scrambling against the wall clumsily. The boy beside me chuckled. I turned, immediately realizing that it was Kiba. "God… What was _that_ for?" I asked, out of breath.

He chuckled again, and smiled. "Hinata-chan said you wanted to see me?" He asked.

I frowned, and then remembered my dumb lie; Kiba wasn't much of a bookworm. "Oh… right. I was just wondering… If you were uh…" I tried hard to find something to say.

His eyebrows rose. "Sakura-chan! I never knew you were one to cheat!" He said.

I punched his shoulder roughly. "I'm not asking you out, you idiot." I muttered.

He pouted. "I see… So, you are indeed immune to my power." He said, like a game show host.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Which is?" I asked.

He smirked, striking a ridiculous pose. "My power to have any woman faint at the sight of me." He said in very low pitched voice.

I suppressed my urge to punch him again- instead I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "Hardly." I said. I couldn't help but laugh as I did.

Kiba grinned at me, his hands in his pockets. "Well, I think I'll get back to what I was doing now. I just wanted to give you some comic relief before you left."

I didn't answer him.

"Cause, you don't look so good these days." He added.

"Gee, thanks." I snapped before I could help myself.

"No, that's not what I mean, dummy." He said, punching my shoulder 'playfully'. Kiba had always been a complicated fellow to understand. At least I thought so. He was a rowdy boy; he was as rough as he was with girls as he was with boys. Mentally, verbally, he was softer, but his actions were always the same. I didn't think he even realized this, but I had never mentioned it to him. "You don't look really happy. That's all." He said.

I rubbed my shoulder. "Well, look." I said. I pointed to my smiling face. "I'm happy now. So, thank you." I said. I was just beginning to turn around when I heard someone sing my name. I didn't have to turn around to guess who it was.

"_Sakura-chan!_" Karin sang again.

I took a deep breath before turning around. "What." I deadpanned.

She pouted and put her hands on her hips. "Saku-chan, why so harsh? I was just saying hello." She said in a pathetic tone.

I had to close my eyes to keep them from rolling by themselves. When I opened them, she was walking towards me, her company gone. "You never _just_ say hello." I muttered.

She ignored and eyed my choice of clothing. "Gotten a little lazy, have we? I see you can't take the time to pick your clothes anymore. Did your _mommy_ pick that for you?" She asked.

It was on.

It was_ so _on.

She _knew_ about my mother.

She knew _everything_.

It was sickening to even look at her.

The small reminder of my sanity was the only thing that kept me from smashing a chair into her disgusting face. Kiba just stared at me, probably hoping to see some sort of fight to break out. He'd probably cheer me on- until it got out of hand of course. He'd never been a fan of blood; he said that it smelled weird.

During that one time that I thought that Karin had given up on ruining the last untouched piece of my shattered life, she had risen from the ashes like a phoenix.

… An ugly, broken, callous phoenix.

"So," She said, glancing at Kiba, who just stared at her, "Sasuke not so interesting anymore?" She said, a malicious grin sliding across her cheeks.

"I swear to god if you don't get out of my sight right now I'll rip your damn head off." I hissed in anger.

Kiba looked taken back by my reaction. Karin's grin only grew larger. "So, I'm right?" She asked, "Because, then it makes you two even, right?" She asked, lifting both her hands, palms upwards. "I see, a well balanced couple, eh?"

I paled. "What?" I mumbled.

"Well, since you're already with him then it doesn't matter." She said, shrugging. She still observed her too equally levelled hands.

I should've known better, but I didn't. I couldn't tell who I was really mad at anymore. One of the highest possibilities would be my self, but I wouldn't believe and decided to drown my self in my own denial.

"I'm not with him. I'm not with anyone. Not with anyone _but_ Sasuke." I growled.

Karin's hands immediately dropped back down to her hips. Her grin shrunk into a smirk. "I guess I should tell you then." She said.

Kiba tried to stop me, but I shoved pass him and stood right in front of Karin, nostrils flaring. "I'm waiting then. Spit it out,

_**Bitch**__**.**_"


	18. Chapter 18

Well, really. What can I say? It's been a while. Nothing I say can really excuse what I've done… ugh. About 130 days of no updates. You guys are angels, thanks for sticking with me. Next will be here much sooner though, because I have to finish this before September 8th! If you have it in your heart to forgive me, drop me a review. THEY MAKE ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!

Oh, and, check out my profile!

* * *

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 18:**

I knew I shouldn't have said it. I should've kept my mouth shut and just forgotten about it. Now, of course, there was no going back. Hinata would come looking for me soon. I sighed and pushed the bucket aside, sliding down to the floor. It was dusty and dark and disgusting, but I found odd comfort in the small Janitor's closet. I sighed. I was no longer able to hear voices outside, so I guess it was near curfew.

I opened my cell phone, checking the time. Hinata was probably still packing, not that I cared. I then closed it and stuffed it into my pocket. I covered my face with my palms and let out a huge breath.

"_What is that…?" I muttered, staring at the screen of Karin's phone. It was blurry, and hard __to make out the figures in the 5 second video, but I could make them out immediately._

"_That's right," Karin sneered, looking just about ready to burst out in laughter, "Can you believe it? Your beloved Sasu-chan and Hina-chan. Aren't they just so adorable together?"_

_I felt my heart pick up it's pace, and for a second I forgot about the people surrounding me. I kind of tripped over my own feet as I fell back to lean against the wall. The smaller figure, who I believed to be Hinata, looked as though she was hugging Sasuke. She let go quickly as Sasuke whispered something to he, and her head shot in Karin's direction. Karin's giggles could be heard now, and Hinata got on her toes to tell Sasuke something discreetly._

_They were walking away now, and the video stopped abruptly. _

The video had only been five seconds long, but I felt as though I could've just watched a two-hour movie. So little could mean so much. I ran my fingers into my hair, and clenched the soft strands tightly, forcing my head into my knees, pulling on the roots just enough to make myself cry.

* * *

"Come on, let's go! Let's go!" Naruto yelled as we all hurried into Itachi's van, our ride. We could hardly all fight in. Hinata had to sit on Naruto and share his belt, and I as well, except I sat with Sasuke.

"You got all your stuff?" Itachi asked calmly, adjusted the mirror above his head.

"Yes… Now, let's go, we're late already." Sasuke complained.

Itachi sighed, turning his keys and starting up the engine. "Got your passports?" He asked.

"Yes." Hinata squeaked.

"Camera?" He asked.

"Jesus! Let's go!" Naruto blurted out.

Itachi rolled his eyes, but quietly obliged. We were lucky to arrive in less than half an hour; the highway had been fairly deserted, and we got our tickets checked early. "So…" Itachi said as we stopped at the gate, where we were forced to separate, "I guess I'll see you in a week."

Sasuke sighed. "It's not a week it's… five days." He said.

All I could do was give Itachi a quick hug. I looked at Hinata, expecting her to do so as well. She awkwardly wrapped her arms around him, glancing at me as she did. I made sure to keep my eyes from her. As she let go, Itachi watched us slowly walk away, waving at us silently. I knew I'd see him soon, _five days_, yet I found myself trying to fight back tears as I turned back around and pushed through the doors.

Our first obstacle to pass had been the metal detector. First went Hinata, then Naruto, then Gaara, then Sai (who had to hold onto his pants as he passed because of his lack of belt) and then Sasuke. I was last to go through. I hated Metal detectors, I'd heard Itachi ranting about them when he came back from his trip, and something _always_ had to go wrong when you went through them. I stared up at the cursed metal detectors for what seemed like hours, Sai bringing me back to reality at the last minute and urging me forward.

**BEEP**

"_Shit._" I muttered. Sai snickered at me, having obviously hoped for this, as I cautiously stepped inside a tiny square thing, blank sheet-like walls covering all sides.

There was a woman who stepped in, her dark brown hair tied in a bun. She closed she curtain-like door behind her and revealed her little metal detecting device. I raised my arms and she passed it over me a few times, but not a sound came out. She frowned at it and tapped it against her thigh. "Stupid machine…" She muttered. She jerked it around, and suddenly the low fizzing sound was heard. She passed it once more, and declared me safe.

Our second obstacle? Right. Our flight had been delayed. Why? The god damn _weather_. Mother Nature, this _seriously_ wasn't the time. I sighed as we walked out of the airport, the next flight scheduled to arrive the next day.

"What do we do now?" Naruto asked, yawning.

Hinata sighed, zipping open her purse. "We find a place to stay," She told us.

"What'd you mean?" Naruto asked, stretching his arms.

"Exactly what you think it means. There's a hotel connected to the airport we can stay in until tomorrow afternoon. It wastes less time then going back home." Sasuke said.

I felt my stomach flip in jealousy. He just sided with her so _easily_. I shook my head. What was I saying? There was absolutely _nothing_ going on. Karin was tricking me. I groaned, feeling the rain begin to pour down on me and the wind biting my skin as soon as we got outside, "I'll never sleep through this thunderstorm." As if on cue, the sound of massive thunder echoed throughout the sky.

* * *

When we arrived in our hotel, we were barely awake. Hinata and I shared a room while the boys shared their own, neighbouring us. I yawned as I dumped my luggage bag on the ground and then myself on one of the beds. Hinata was lying on her stomach and dialling a number on our telephone. I watched half-heartedly as she spoke to her mother on the other line.

"Mom…." Hinata said softly into the phone, "Mom…. Mom, listen to me." She spoke so quietly now that it was almost a whisper, "Mom, please." She said again.

I tried my best not to move, to act like I was asleep. Her bed creaked a bit, turning to look at me, I suppose, and then she turned around again.

"Yes, I know… I'm with Sakura right now." She said, her voice faltering a bit. There was a long pause. "What are you talking about?" She asked, pausing again. "Mom, just listen… Please, stop yelling, let me explain... How do you know that…? I am not raising my voice, mom."

I felt my face pale. Was something happening? Something I hadn't noticed? I took in a deep breath and the bed creaked.

I heard Hinata moving around before she spoke again. "I've got to go, now." She quickly said, "No, I've got to go. Bye." She quickly put the phone back down on the receiver.

I bit my lip.

"Sakura?" Hinata whispered.

I breathed silently.

She let out a sigh and slid out of the room.

* * *

I woke up in the middle of the night. It must have been around four o'clock in the morning when I awoke. I was hot in my jeans and sweater, the clothing I'd worn for the cold airplane. I turned on the lamp on my bedside table and found the room to be empty. Where was Hinata? I groaned at the sudden feeling of my aching back. I had woken because of the soreness from my bad sleeping position. I stumbled to my feet and put on a loose fitting light blue T-shirt and grey track pants. I ran my hands through my hair in an attempt to free the knots in my hair, but quickly gave up, shaking my head and letting my hair set in by itself instead.

I walked lazily out of the bedroom, spotting Hinata at the desk with her laptop plugged into the internet outlet. What had last night been about? What had her mother been saying? I sighed and reached for the Nutella sandwiches I spotted beside her. Only when I approached did I realize that she was asleep, her chin resting perfectly in her palm and her other hand lying lazily on the mouse. The screen of her laptop was on screensaver mode. I was reaching for the mouse when she suddenly awoke.

She blinked a few times, spotting my hand first, and made a weird noise in her throat. "Sa… Sakura?" She mumbled. Her head nearly hit the keyboard when she moved her hand and realized it had been supporting her head. She turned to look at me, and suddenly she looked frantic.

"What're you doing?" I asked, grasping the mouse to move it around and wake up the snoozing computer.

She quickly closed the laptop and turned the chair. I pulled my hand back. "What're you doing awake so late?" She asked me.

I smiled, despite the tenseness of her voice. "I asked first. What're you doing on the computer?" I asked her quizzically.

"Oh, nothing," She quickly said, and then slowly added, "Just… stuff." She smiled.

I hesitated at first but ended up pushing my thoughts aside. "Well," I said, "I'm just going to go to the vending machine downstairs and get some junk. What'd you want?" I asked her.

She shook her head, as if returning from a daydream. "Uh… just chips. Chips." She said, rubbing her eyes.

I nodded my head and walked out. As soon as I was out, I looked both left and right, examining the hall. It was empty, with the exception of the sock lying by one of the doors. It was nearly pitch black, but tiny night lights illuminated part of the hall. I walked to the end of the hall, stopping at the top of the staircase. I reached into my pocket, coins jingling as I reached for them. I walked down the stairs as I counted them. I had just enough for a jumbo bag of chips and a can of coke.

I sighed as put my foot down on even ground, immediately spotting the vending machine beside the empty reception desk. I began my stride towards it, my eyes to the ground. Once in front of it, I slid in a bill and some coins. I suddenly heard loud breathing behind me and jumped, whirling around violently. I struggled to hold back my scowl when I realized that it was Sasuke standing behind me. He smiled a little, his eyes droopy and tired.

"Sasuke, you scared me." I said, turning back to the vending machine and pressing the right combination of numbers.

He only grunted and continued to watch me. He held the coke for me as I straddled the bag of chips in my arm. I let him take my hand as we turned to walk back to the staircase. "No one's here?" He asked quietly, glancing towards the reception desk. We stopped and stared.

The light at the desk was still on, as well as the computers. I felt an eerie feeling in my stomach. I knew what it was. The last time the feeling had been too strong to be able to forget. I bit my lip hard and ducked my head. Someone else was in the room. "I'm sorry, Sasuke." I choked.

* * *

I distinctly remember the day the doctor had told us the news. Five years wasn't that long a time. At least, not to me.

_We're so sorry to say this, but you have been diagnosed with cancer._

I was only _twelve_. Why hadn't they isolated me from the room? Why hadn't they kept it a secret? And at first I didn't understand.

_But Mommy doesn't use her cell phone that much. _

_But Mommy doesn't smoke. _

_But Mommy doesn't stand near the microwave when it's heating. _

Why does she have cancer? How does she have cancer? I just didn't understand. The first thing I'd done was sit down on a chair, curl up in a ball, and pinch myself.

_Maybe I'm just dreaming a really, really, really bad nightmare._

It was kind of surprising to see that I hadn't woken up yet. And then Mommy and Daddy just stared at the doctor. I couldn't read minds, but I knew what their faces said.

… _Really?_

And then the doctor said he was sorry. I could hardly speak, because usually doctors just said that to make you feel better, even if it didn't work. But he was young and he was.

_I'm really, really sorry._

* * *

I still remember when Mommy was feeling fine. She felt fine physically but you could tell by her face that, inside her, in her big, big heart, that she was _not_ fine.

_I'm not okay._

And every night I heard Mommy crying from her room, and for the first month, Daddy tried to console her. It didn't work.

_It's okay, honey. Everything's going to be fine._

… _Fine._

It wasn't fine. And Daddy had to stop trying and ignore her crying and just sleep, because he had work the next day and we needed him to work so Mommy could have her surgery. That's all the doctors would say.

_If we remove the tumour early enough, you can be saved._

_Really? Mommy could be saved?_

… _But if it's too late, the tumour will spread._

How could we have known it was too late, anyway? The doctors didn't know. I didn't know. Mommy didn't know. Even Daddy didn't know. Nobody knew.

Somewhere, somehow, someone had made a mistake.

* * *

Daddy was next. Not really next, though, he had been caught in the middle. It got to me and Mommy and the news too fast for us to accept it.

_One loyal police__man and loving father gets into fatal car accident._

Mommy had still been sick. She had her hospital bed in the house, and the doctors came all the time to check on her. Daddy and I had helped her eat and walk and bathe and keep smiling. Now it was just me, and even while I could do the first three, Mommy hardly even smiled again; because her smiles came from mine and they were on the verge of extinction.

_When can we visit Daddy at the hospital?_

They say it was a fatal car accident but that no one died. But someone did die. My father's soul died, and my mother's soul died and my whole life just fell apart.

_I wish Mommy and Daddy could get better and that we'd be a great family again._

It had been too hard to cry at that moment. Only when Mommy had died did I realize how much I'd just lost.

_Daddy will wake up soon. Daddy will wake up soon. Daddy will wake up soon._

Daddy hasn't woken up yet, but for some reason I wish he won't.

….Because when Daddy wakes up he'll face a dead family and this hole in his chest; where his heart used to be.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **I'm really in trouble now for not staying true to my word…

Maybe I should shut up now.

When's the last chapter coming anyway?

* * *

**Miss Trouble Magnet**

**Chapter 19:**

The first thing that came to mind was to keep Sasuke safe and more importantly _alive_.

I slowly stepped forward, my hand slipping right out of aforementioned boy's in the darkness. I was shaking uncontrollably as I put my foot firmly on the ground. Two men stood at the entrance door now, the taller one's stance relaxed and almost casual. The streetlights shone inside from behind him, making an outline of his form. It was lithe but masculine; slightly baggy pants, wide shoulders and sweater.

I took another step forward and Sasuke immediately pulled me back. He was glaring at the figures standing across the dark room from us. The panic set in as I realized that he may not be able to see Sasuke clearly. I turned around; my pink hair whipped my face from the rapid turn. "Run, please! Go!" I told him in a hushed whisper, my hands against his chest, pushing him.

"_Sakura…_" The venomously voice hissed, creating echoes throughout the room.

Sasuke stared ahead with wide eyes, and then he looked down at me, his eyes flickering in the light. "What the hell is going on?" He asked angrily, though his voice was nearly as loud as mine.

"Please, just go… go…" I was sobbing now, attempting to send him back by hitting his chest with my fists, "Please… please…" I whispered, my own will simply drained out of me.

"Sakura, what-"

"_Did you bring a souvenir?_" He said now, his voice pleasantly amused.

I shuddered at the last word, the 's' exaggerated and dragged out. Sasuke held me and pulled us both backwards. "Sasuke," I hissed, "Please, go! Run!" I kept telling him.

"Who the hell do you think I am? I'm _not_ running." He said roughly, pushing me behind him the second a click was heard and a bright beam appeared, a circle light on the carpeted floors.

_Flashlight._

"No…" I whispered, "No, Sasuke, please, listen to me! I can't let you do this; you have to get out of here, _now_. There's no time to waste, please, run, Sasuke! Please!" I told him, trying to pull him away again. The beam of light was moving now.

"_Sakuraaa…_"

I began hyperventilating madly as it studied one corner of the room. I whipped around to the entrance door. Where'd the other one go? Sasuke turned around, facing me. I couldn't see his face, but I could just feel the confusion and panic and anger bursting right out of him. "Who the hell is he? Why are you trying to make me leave? _What the hell is going on_?!" He nearly yelled, containing himself just enough to be heard only by me.

I felt the tears filling my eyesight again and I tried to choke out an answer. "If you don't leave he'll get both of us. Do you _understand_? _He'll _get_ us_." I cried.

He just stared at me. "I'm calling the police." He suddenly said, reaching into his pocket and immediately dialling the three digit number.

I could only stare at him in awe. "Sasuke, no… He'll get them, too! No, you can't call th-"

"_Found you!_"

I froze.

"_Hm… Not here either…_"

I was hardly able to control myself; suddenly I stood and stalked to the middle of the room. The beam of light immediately stilled. "I'm here, okay? All alone. Is that what you want? Is it?" I asked, my tears drying uncomfortably on my face.

I nearly jumped at the sound of Sasuke's sneakers squeaking on the floor. "Sak-"

"What're are you waiting for?" I said louder.

_Please, Sasuke, just _shut up.

The beam from the flashlight was creeping to towards me. "_Oh… but what about your trip? Hm…?_"

I gulped as the light reached my ankle. I opened my mouth to speak.

"Sakura!"

I felt my heart sink.

_No… no, no. No!_

"I'm calling the police!"

Clank. Thud.

"NO!" I screeched as I slammed my fist against the floor.

The man hissed, the flashlight rolling away and stopping to aim right at my face. I let my head rest against the floor, letting out a trembling breath. Sasuke slowly moved away from his spot on top of me, holding my shoulders and helping me up.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke…"

He chuckled and pulled towards him, my body still shaking violently.

"You know… I really love you, Sasuke…" I continued.

He rest his chin on my head as I pressed my cheek against his chest. "Hey…" He started.

"But you _seriously_ messed up."

I felt his chin move a bit, and somehow I knew he was, for some reason, smiling. "Hey, Sakura…" He said again.

I closed my eyes and listened. Ready to here his, probably, last words.

"He's gone, dummy."

* * *

"So… basically…"

"Someone is trying to kill you." He mumbled. His voice was barely audible.

I could barely nod my head at this. It suddenly struck me that this was all real, that this was no dream, nothing to be brushed off. Someone was seriously trying to kill me. And then I was still shocked by the fact that I'd told Sasuke everything. And that it'd felt good to tell him.

But now he was a target, and we needed to find a solution to all of this. Fast.

"I still don't understand why you didn't tell me this _before_." He told me, rubbing his temples as he struggled to keep his calm.

I opened my mouth and paused. I gulped and tried again. "Sasuke, you can't forget that I wasn't even supposed to _tell_ you, and now-"

"Yes, you were!" He yelled, rising from his chair.

I only stared at him as he put his hand back to his head and began pacing the room. "… and now you're a target, too. How could I live with myself if you were _dead_?" I asked him. The word itself was too hard to think about, let alone say. I fell onto the bed, too faint to stand.

He stopped pacing, facing me from the other side of the room. "What? 'How could I live with myself'? That doesn't even _qualify_ as an excuse. _You would already be dead_." He hissed.

I flinched away from his stare and bit my lip, tears welling up in my eyes again. As soon as one fell over the edge and ran down to my jaw, he rushed next to me and held me.

"I'm sorry. Don't cry, okay? Everything will be fine." He told me, wiping away my tear with his thumb.

I nodded my head. "I know, I know. It's just really,_ really_ overwhelming and I don't know what I'm supposed to do now." I blurted, the reflexive hiccupping action taking over me as I began to sob. He pulled me onto his lap, and I smiled sadly at how snugly I fit into his arms.

We may never be able to fit this way again.

I ignored the though and looked up at him. He was just in the middle of opening his mouth. "What do we do now? We tell, of course."

My eyes widened. "No! They'll-" I shut my mouth as he quickly kissed it, staying close so that his cheek was against my forehead.

He sighed as he tried to continue, "How can one person-"

"Two, maybe even more - possibly a whole cult of them, running wild outside and killing random people!" I said, growing even more frantic. I calmed as he kissed me again, longer this time.

When he pulled away from me he smirked. "Or he's trying to _scare_ you, Sakura. He may seem like a man with a lot of power, but what if he's bluffing? He's obviously terrified of getting caught. As soon as I said I was calling the police he disappeared. Thing is, I didn't even see him leave. He may be tricky, but I bet that underneath it, there's really nothing to be afraid of."

I sighed. Okay, maybe he was right, but I still had reason to be at least a _little_ fearful. "Okay, fine. Go ahead and call the police." I sighed.

He laughed quietly, leaning in to kiss me again. And still, despite what was going on, he was gentle and soft in the way he pushed me down onto the bed, and moved his lips against mine perfectly. He lied over me as he kissed me; he laughed, his fierce and dominant eyes catching mine. As soon as our lips parted, his arms slid under me. I let my eyes open wide to stare at him, but couldn't keep my head straight enough to protest.

He was proving to be quite the distraction.

I moaned as he pressed against me, his hot breath blowing into my face as he breathed. I took a second to breathe as well as he rolled onto his back, pulling me over him. I calmed at the feeling of his warm hands sliding underneath my shirt to hold me closer, drawing circles on my lower back, while the other held my head. I held his own head in my hands for a moment, afterwards sliding my fingers into his hair. I paused for a few seconds, just staring into his eyes. He stared back.

I heard the door open.

I rolled off of him so fast that I fell off the bed.

"Oh… uh…" Sai mumbled, scratching his chin as he stood at the doorframe, rooted at the spot. I stared up at him from my spot on the floor. Sasuke swung his legs over the bed, and tried to keep from looking anything but innocent. My face reddened as I pulled down my shirt and smoothed out my hair.

"Did I… interrupt something?" He asked hesitantly.

Suddenly, Sasuke was nudging me with his toe. I looked up at him. He nodded his head sideways to Sai, his eyes never leaving mine. I licked my lips and looked away.

"What?" Sai asked.

I took in a deep breath. "We need to talk about something." I said.

He paused. "… We…?" He repeated slowly.

Sasuke said, "Get Hinata, Gaara and Naruto. Now."

* * *

I felt my eyes water at the sight. Gaara had long ago stormed out of the room to then lock himself in his own. Hinata stared at me, her eyes terrified yet calm at the same time. Naruto was holding her, staring at the floor angrily. Sai looked like he was going to burst out crying. The room was tense and quiet. The hotel's pleasant perfumes weren't making any of it better.

"I knew it." Hinata said quietly.

Naruto's head jerk upwards as he stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… it all makes sense now. That car accidents, way back. When I found Sakura terrified in our dorms… That time were Sakura freaked out at the building, I swear I heard a voice but I thought maybe I'd imagined it! I mean, she was so terrified-" She rambled.

"You saw her freak out and you didn't say anything?!" Sai all but barely yelled.

Hinata flinched as her eyes welled up. Her face was streaked of mascara already. "I didn't know, Sakura could've been crying over anything, I didn't-"

"Sakura might _die_!" He yelled again, though not as loudly.

Naruto held a shaking Hinata closer as he turned to glare viciously at Sai. "_No one is going to die_." He seethed, "Not if I can help it."

What Naruto said; he meant.

Sai breathed deeply before leaning against the wall limply. "Now what?" He asked.

The breath I took was instable and made me shudder.

"You're the one who knows everyone. If Sakura can describe him…" Sasuke murmured beside me.

Sai's face lit up momentarily.

"No… I've never seen him," I said dejectedly.

Everyone seemed to slide back into their depressive state. Hinata shook her head. "I should've said something… I knew something was wrong. You were basically on the floor, in the elevator, and-" She cried, burying her face in her hands.

"And I asked you not to tell anyone." I said, smiling sadly, "You listened - you _trusted_ me. You're a good friend, Hinata. Please don't blame yourself…"

She shook her head violently. Her words were rushed and they stumbled over each other. "A good friend said something, I just-"

Naruto hushed her and rubbed her arm affectionately.

"You just did what I asked you. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I took advantage of your trust and know I'm paying for it. So please, not only Hinata but all of you, don't blame yourselves." I told them. No one was looking at me anymore.

It seemed like an eternity before anyone said anything.

Sai put a hand to his forehead. "How did you do it?" He asked quietly.

I looked up to him. "Do what?" I asked.

"How did you get threatened for your life and keep it all secret? All those times when you nearly dead… did you know? When did you figure it out? Despite everything you've been through… how did you keep it in for so long?" He asked me, his hand sliding down over his eyes.

I blinked at all his questions, and slowly looked down to my feet. "I'm used to it, I guess."

He smiled. "Right." He said. I couldn't tell if he was teasing me or he just thought that it was impossible.

Naruto turned to face Sasuke, glancing at Sai for a moment. "We should go get Gaara… quickly." He mumbled.

"Yeah… You do that." I sighed.


End file.
